Another Way to Bleed
by krispybee12
Summary: Young Sookie, Eric and Godric are best of friends…but, thanks to a collection of wild, teenage hormones, certain feelings are starting to surface that threaten to jeopardize not only their friendship, but possibly the rest of their lives as well…'Love sucks. Sometimes it feels good. Sometimes it's just another way to bleed…' AH, AU, E/S, G/S, E/G, E/S/G *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**AN: What!? Another all new story!? Why, yes, dearest readers, that is correct! :D**

 **Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

SPOV

"Eric! Knock it off and hold still already, you're fucking up the lighting," I scowl out at my friend irritably as his cobalt eyes twinkle with mischief and he begins wiggling around a bit more. Such an ass. I pick up a paintbrush and hurl it at straight at his golden head, only to hit poor Godric instead.

"Ouch! Damn it, Eric, stop moving around you jackass," he grumbles out, wiping green paint from his forehead with a scowl as Eric and I share a giggle together at our friend's expense.

"Don't move, stop making that stupid face, do that again and you're toast, Mister," my golden haired friend mocks with his best impression of my voice, which isn't close at all to how I really sound as far as I'm concerned. I can only roll my eyes at him in half amusement, half annoyance.

"Sorry about the brush, Goddy," I throw out, ignoring the goofy faces Eric's shooting at me above the dark head of loose curls.

"Not your fault, Sook," he answers with a shrug before throwing an elbow into Eric's side. "We would have been done an hour ago if Numbnuts here could take something seriously for once," he sighs in mock annoyance as a shit eating grin covers Eric's classically handsome face.

"Oh, Numbnuts, huh?" he asks in mock horror, before the two of them are wresting together across the floor, completely ruining my plans for finally finishing my painting this afternoon. I suppose I should have expected as much from the two goofballs I proudly enough claim to be my very best friends.

I shrug dismissively, tossing my brushes aside before pulling my sketchbook from my weathered backpack instead. I prop myself upon my knees, listening to the all too familiar absurd, ongoing argument with an amused smirk as I begin sketching two of my very favorite muses at play.

"Oh, you're not getting away that fast, Goddy, my man," Eric mocks, dragging a growling Godric over the carpet by his stocking covered feet with a gleeful grin.

"Eric, you asshole, knock it off already!" Godric calls, struggling to get away from the much larger boy's iron-like grip.

"Mercy?" Eric questions, waggling his brows once he's shifted his hold and has Godric pinned with his arms behind his back.

"Yes, mercy, for fuck's sakes, just let me go, Dickhead," Godric grunts out before Eric is jumping up and down, crying out victoriously as he pumps his long arms in the air in triumph. "Yeah, yeah, you beat a guy half your size, great job," Godric grumbles with an eye roll before Eric lowers himself to the floor, pulling his dark haired counterpart into a bear hug.

"Oh, don't be mad at me, Goddy," he pleads, fluttering his lashes as he sticks out his bottom lip in a mock pout, bringing a snort of amusement from me before Godric rolls his eyes once more at our loveable jackass of a friend.

"Fine, you're forgiven," Godric finally tells him, earning a megawatt smile from Eric before he's helping Godric up from the floor and the two of them make their way towards me together.

"Oh, this is awful!" Eric mocks, shaking his head as he studies the painting I fear I may never finish as a small pout comes to my face. "This looks nothing like me," he continues, tilting his head as if he's studying the painting studiously as I rise to my feet, tossing my sketchpad to the side with a huff of annoyance.

"Bullshit," I throw back, shoving him playfully to bring a snort of amusement from him before he slings a long arm over my shoulder. "The resemblance is spot on, you're just not nearly as pretty as you think you are," I tease, earning a look of mock horror from him as Godric breaks into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"Well, I never," he cries out in faux humiliation before pulling both Godric and I into a tight hug. "I fear I can't let you go until you both apologize," he teases, clutching us both tightly to his defined chest as we both struggle in our much larger friend's firm hold.

"Never!" I cry out through my laughter, finally launching into a tickle attack as a last act of desperation. Godric quickly follows my lead, the two of us succeeding in bringing the big oaf to the floor with uproarious laughter before he finally loses his hold on the two of us.

The three of us are finally left breathless, sprawled out together over the floor of Eric's bedroom as a contented smile comes to my face. I love any time spent with my two cohorts and plan on spending just as much time with the two of them as humanly possible these next three months, the last months we may have to spend like this together before we'll be attending separate colleges.

"God, I'm really gonna miss you guys, you know that?" I question, rolling over and propping myself up on my elbows with a small sigh.

"Aww, you hear that? She _wuvs_ us, Goddy," Eric teases, bringing a smirk from me as Godric shakes his head, catching my gaze with an expression I can't quite read.

GPOV

I look back and forth between my two, best friends, Sookie's words sinking in as a small frown comes to my face. I know exactly how she feels, already dreading the end of summer when the three of us will be separated by state lines for the first time in our lives.

"Yeah, it's really gonna suck, huh?" I concede with a sigh as Sookie nods her golden head in agreement.

"But we have the entire summer to spend together." Eric reminds us merrily. "We may as well make the best of it," he adds dismissively, reaching up to fluff Sookie's flowing tresses playfully to earn a playful smack from our female counterpart.

"Speaking of which," Sookie says with a grin as Eric rubs his reddened arm with an exaggerated pout. "You two are both coming to the senior party with me tonight, right?" she questions eagerly, earning dual nods from us.

"Duh," I respond as Sookie shoots me a smirk. " _We're_ both going, but aren't you worried about running into your ass of an ex?" I question as a scowl crosses her delicate features. It's only been a week since her explosive break up with her ex after she walked in on him in a rather compromising position with another girl from our class.

"Fucking Bill Compton," she spits out, rolling her eyes with an annoyed sigh. "Can you believe I wasted my entire high school dating career with that lying slimeball? What the fuck was I thinking?" she asks, trying her best to hide the lingering pain lacing her words, though to me, one of her closest friends, it's clear as day.

"Beats me," Eric answers with a shrug. "I told you to kick his ass to the curb freshman year," he reminds her as she sticks her tongue out at him, only to earn waggling brows in return.

"Ass," she returns, shaking her head as Eric grins widely. "I hope Bill _is_ there," she states, her shoulders thrown back proudly. "He should be reminded what a good thing he threw away cheating on me with a skank like _Lorena_ ," she spits out the other girl's name like venom as I see real hurt shining in my friend's sapphire eyes. I scoot closer, slinging my arm around her to earn a grateful smile before she rests her head upon my shoulder.

"Well, while you're busy parading your half naked ass in front of your tool of an ex, I'll be busy trying to finally add the last couple cheerleaders to my rather impressive collection," Eric informs us delightedly, rubbing his hands together with glee as we both roll our eyes at our horn dog of a friend.

"You really did earn the nickname, Viking, in more ways than one," Godric remarks, widening Eric's grin as he nods, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Damn straight I did," he responds with a wink as I can't help but chuckle at his obvious arrogance. "And just what are _your_ big plans for the party, Goddy?" he questions, both of them turning their attention to me as I shrug.

"Don't know," I answer dismissively as a smirk pulls at Sookie's lips. I raise a questioning brow at her and as her grin widens, I can't help but wonder just what's going on in that remarkable mind of hers. "What?" I question as she nibbles her bottom lip, looking very much like she's fighting to hold back whatever it is she's obviously dying to say.

"Oh, just spill it, Sook," Eric whines, obviously just as curious as me as we see Sookie's eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I was just thinking Godric might be hoping to run into _Sam_ at the party," she reveals as I feel my face burning with instant embarrassment. "Oh my God! It is true, isn't it!?" she cries out as I let out a loud groan, dropping my head to my hands in humiliation as she giggles ecstatically above me.

"Sam? Why the hell would he care if Merlotte was at the party?" Eric questions obliviously as I swear I blush even harder still. Could this be any more fucking embarrassing?

"Well, I heard a rumor about our little Goddy and Sam floating around school, but until now, I wasn't sure if it was true or not," Sookie reveals as I slowly lift my head, realizing I have no choice but to explain myself at this point.

"Yeah, it's true," I sigh out, eliciting an excited squeal from Sookie as Eric is looking back and forth between us in utter bewilderment. "We made out, okay?" I admit, seeing Eric's jaw drop in shock as Sookie pulls me into a half hug.

"Oh, how completely adorable! You two make the cutest couple!" Sookie is exclaiming as Eric is staring at me as if I've grown a second head. Great, just fucking great. It's not that I really meant to keep this a secret from my friends, I just hadn't figured out the best way to bring up the subject just yet and wasn't really sure how they'd take this bit of news.

"We're not a couple, Sook," I sigh out, shaking my head. "It was just a bit of kissing. It didn't mean anything," I explain, feeling my cheeks burning as Sookie shrugs dismissively and Eric is gawking at me like I'm a complete stranger instead of one of his very best friends. Yeah, guess I kind of expected that from him.

"Wait, you're _gay_? When did this happen?" Eric asks in total puzzlement, finally able to speak once more as I roll my eyes at his ignorance.

"I'm not putting a label on my sexuality," I admonish him, having struggled way too long with the conflicting sexual urges budding within me to submit to any of society's ridiculous labels.

"Don't be a dick about this, Eric," Sookie scolds him, shaking her head at our still bewildered friend. "You know full well Godric likes girls as well, the fact that he made out with a guy doesn't change anything. He's still our same ol' Goddy," Sookie defends, pulling me tightly against her as I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, giving her a grateful smile.

"Right, yeah, of course," Eric says, clearing his throat as he begins studying me curiously as I can't help but wonder just what the hell he's thinking right about now.

EPOV

Godric, my best friend, kissed another guy. Why is it I'm just finding out about this now? Why didn't he say anything to me about this before? I never even knew he thought of guys in a sexual way. You'd think he'd feel comfortable enough to talk to me, his best friend, about something like this, but then, given my dumbstruck reaction to finding out, maybe he was right in keeping this from me the way he did. Man, this is gonna take some time to wrap my mind around.

I watch Godric and Sookie talking excitedly about tonight's upcoming party, all this running through my mind and it's not until they both turn their attention back to me that I realize I've just been laying here, gawking at the two of them like some kind of moron.

"Well?" Sookie asks, raising a brow at me as I scramble, trying to figure out just what the hell she's asking me about. Fuck, I have no idea.

"Well, what?" I question, finally shaking off my stupor.

"Well, I was just telling Godric I'm through with relationships," she tells me, a small smirk pulling at her lips as I nod my understanding. "I wasted years of my life on Bill, years I'll never get back and now I'm determined to make up for lost ground before going away to college," she explains as a grin automatically spreads over my face, all previous thoughts forgotten, at least for now.

"Oh, really?" I question, waggling my brows suggestively at my friend to bring a snort of amusement from her. "Is this your way of telling us you're finally ready to let your freak flag fly?" I tease, earning matching chuckles from Godric and Sookie alike.

"It really is about time our little Sookie finally had a bit of fun, don't you think?" Godric throws at me with a wink as a light, pink blush crawls up Sookie's cheeks. It's just too easy to elicit that reaction from her and I never grow tired of it.

"I just think it would be easier to keep emotions out of the equation," Sookie elaborates with a shrug. "Saves pain that way, keeping things casual, right?" she questions, looking to me, apparently for my input on the subject. "I mean you should know, you're the _king_ of casual sex," she adds, bringing a wolfish grin to my face.

"Why yes, I suppose I am," I concede, somewhat smugly. "Though, I don't know if you could manage navigating the dark world of one night stands," I tease as Sookie sticks her tongue out at me, making me chuckle in amusement.

"Just 'cuz I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't enjoy sex without getting all mushy," she argues back with a smirk as I lift an incredulous brow at her.

"Well, this could certainly prove interesting," Godric muses amusedly as I have to nod my agreement. "And just who did you have in mind, dearest Sookie, for your first unattached tryst?" he questions teasingly as Sookie's golden cheeks flush a brilliant red.

"Oh, so you _do_ have someone in mind," I chime in, earning a mock scowl from Sookie before she throws back her shoulders defiantly.

"I do," she admits firmly as Godric and I both look to her expectantly. "It's Quinn," she admits, making me choke in disbelief as Godric hides an amused chuckle. "Oh, what? You don't approve?" she challenges as I shrug absently.

"He's a complete moron, Sook," Godric remarks, earning an eye roll from Sookie.

"Yeah, well, it's not his _mind_ I'm interested in," she shoots back, earning mixed chuckles from Godric and I.

"I say go for it, Sook," I chime in as she looks to me in shock. "I mean it, you deserve a bit of fun after the hell fucktard Bill dragged you through, playing with your emotions the way he did," I add earnestly, having hurt right along with my good friend as she dealt with her boyfriend's bitter betrayal.

"Thanks, Eric," she responds, a grateful smile lighting up her face before she leans forward to place a chaste kiss upon my cheek.

"You know we're both here for you, no matter what," Godric tells her, sending a warm smile her way. "Just know that if Quinn is stupid enough to hurt you, in _any_ way, he'll have to deal with the both of us," he assures her, bringing a glowing smile from our female cohort before she places a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. I have to smirk, seeing the light blush come to Godric's cheeks before Sookie looks back and forth between us with a genuine smile.

"You guys are the best friends a girl could ask for," she comments, pulling us both in for a group hug.

"Oh, God, there she goes getting all _mushy_ again," I tease, earning an elbow to the ribs from Sookie as Godric chuckles, shaking his head at us.

"Come on, you two, if we don't leave soon, we'll miss this epic party all together," Godric reminds us with a grin. The three of us pull from our embrace then, each working to ready ourselves for a night out and I can't help sneaking curious glances at my two best friends, thinking over just how different things seem after this afternoon's revelations.

I really don't know what any of this means for the three of us, or if it will manage to affect our close friendship at all. What I _do_ know is I'm determined to make the very best of this summer, hopefully creating lasting memories I can take with me once the three of us are finally parted for the first time in our lives.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 2

SPOV

Heavy bass is thudding rhythmically from the old farmhouse and I pause between my two best friends, suddenly nervous to confront what, or rather, _who_ , is inside. Dammit, Sookie, you can do this, don't wuss out now! I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I feel my friends taking each of my hands into their own in a show of support.

"We don't have to do this, Sook," Godric says softly, clear concern lacing his words as I shake my head, throwing my shoulders back determinedly.

"No, I can do this," I answer back, thankfully sounding much more confident than I feel as they both nod their approval.

"You look amazing, Sook," Eric sounds from my opposite side once we begin trailing forward once more. "Bill won't know what hit him," he adds, shooting me a wink that manages to bring a genuine grin to my face.

"Well, here goes nothing," I say under my breath, following Godric's lead as he opens the door for the three of us, ushering us to join the ongoing party held within. Eric squeezes my shoulder encouragingly and Godric places a soft kiss to my cheek before the three of us disperse, making our separate ways through the rowdy throng made up of our classmates.

It's not long before I spot Bill sitting at the dining room table, his friends surrounding him as Loreana is stretched out over his lap. I halt my stride, that same dull ache I've yet to overcome thudding painfully in my chest once more at the sight of my ex looking so content with his new beau. Just what the hell am I supposed to do now? Shit. Maybe I'm not really ready for this after all.

My eyes dart around the room as I desperately search for a way to somehow make this situation at least somewhat less awkward before a small smirk pulls at my lips, having finally spotted the perfect solution to my current, awkward circumstance. I start making my way towards the towering mound of muscle, my eyes focusing solely upon the shining, bald head towering over the rest of the crowd.

"Quinn, hey," I greet, patting a tanned, bulging bicep as beautiful, lilac eyes turn to me to widen in subtle surprise.

"Sookie, hey, how's it goin'?" he questions smoothly. I open my mouth to respond before I'm hit with a venomous glare from the girl hanging possessively from his arm, the girl my flustered mind has only just managed to register. Fuck my life.

"Fine, just fine," I answer timidly, starting to back away as I wonder just what the hell I'm supposed to do now. I spin on my heel, wanting to put just as much space between me and the awkwardness of the previous exchange before I find myself face to face with none other than Bill, a smug grin crossing his face as my brain suddenly ceases function and I find myself only able to gawk at my previous love interest in a dazed stupor.

"Sookeh," he greets, his eyes trailing over my skin tight, revealing dress that I'm suddenly cursing myself for wearing as my mouth suddenly goes dry and hot tears threaten to spill from my eyes. Shit, shit, shit! Don't cry, Sookie, don't you _dare_ give him that satisfaction!

EPOV

My frown deepens, looking onto the scene unfurling before me and I soon find myself pushing through the crowd, intent on helping my obviously hurting friend as she seems to be fighting back tears. I act on pure instinct at this point, desperate to spare my friend further heartbreak as I wrap my arms around her possessively, pressing a kiss to the side of her throat.

"There you are, Lover," I greet smoothly, feeling Sookie relax against me, a relieved sigh escaping her as Bill hits me with a death glare. "I was looking everywhere for you," I expand, running my hands over Sookie's hips suggestively to bring a smirk of amusement from her.

"Sorry, babe," she answers, having to swallow down her laughter at the absurdity of the situation. "I was just saying hi to Bill here," she adds smoothly, running her hands over my arms in an affectionate display as she falls deeper into my embrace.

"Eric," Bill grates out, heat sparking in his dark orbs as a scornful grimace comes to his face. "I didn't realize you'd found yourself a new conquest already," he throws out spitefully as I feel Sookie tense in my arms. "I see you're not above picking up my sloppy seconds," he adds with a sneer as I feel Sookie trembling subtly against me as I fear her carefully placed façade is beginning to unravel at the seams.

"Funny, I was just thinking the same about you," I throw back, running my hands over Sookie's arms soothingly as Bill's brows jut up in surprise. "Oh, Loreana didn't tell you?" I question, a triumphant grin crossing my face. "She and I shared more than a few pleasurable evenings in the back of her daddy's SUV together," I enlighten him rather smugly, my grin widening to see him reddening in obvious ire.

"Why you," Bill grits out, stepping closer before a perfectly manicured hand wraps itself around his arm, holding him back from what would have surely been a very short lived fight between us. Part of me resents the ill-timed interruption, wanting very badly to put the piece of shit in his rightful place for the hurt he's brought upon my friend.

"Bill," Loreana purrs, her dark eyes trailing over Sookie with a condescending sneer. "It's impolite to ignore our friends," she remarks, sending a glare my way. I blow her a kiss in return, earning a look of utter rage from her as Sookie works to hide a fit of bubbling laughter, finally having to hide her face against my chest as the snide couple marches away in a huff.

"Come, Lover," I insist, keeping up the charade for those around us as I begin leading Sookie away as she continues to hide her bubbling laughter as best she can against my chest. I'm having a hard time containing my own mirth and finally proceed to pull Sookie into an empty bedroom, closing the door firmly behind us before we're falling over each other in raucous laughter.

"Oh my God! The looks on their faces!" Sookie cries out between delighted giggles. "Fucking priceless!" she exclaims, falling back to the bed with a satisfied sigh before I slump down beside her, unable to wipe the grin from my face as she shakes her head at me.

"What? Like I'd really let you face that jackass alone?" I tease, reaching over to fluff her flowing tresses, earning a mock pout from her as she sits up, futilely trying to straighten the ruined style.

"You didn't have to step in like that," she tells me, finally giving up on trying to fix her hair with a dismissive shrug. "But I'm grateful none the less," she assures me, an unreadable expression crossing her face as she tilts her head in apparent thought.

"I've always got your back, you know that," I reassure her, propping myself up on my elbows as I can't help but wonder just what's going on behind those glimmering sapphire eyes of hers.

"Yeah…yeah, I know," she answers softly, her eyes scanning my face for something I couldn't begin to guess at before she's leaning closer. I feel the warmth of her breath heating my lips and my brows shoot up in shock as she proceeds to close the distance between us, pressing her plush lips against my own.

"Sookie, wait," I interrupt, pulling away with a thoughtful frown. "What is this?" I ask in confusion, earning a slight shrug from Sookie in return.

"I told you I was done with relationships," she tells me matter of factly as my frown deepens, my mind working to process this shocking turn of events. "It's just sex, Eric," she adds as I raise an incredulous brow at her.

"But what about Quinn?" I question, seeing her roll her eyes in response.

"He's got a girlfriend," she enlightens me with a sigh. "Look, if you're not into this, it's fine," she says then, pulling away with a frown. I reach out then, not wanting her to leave and not wanting to look too closely to the reasons why as she turns back to me in question.

"Just sex, right?" I question, earning a bright grin in response as she nods in eager agreement. I'm not entirely convinced this isn't possibly the worst idea I've ever agreed to, but as Sookie leans closer once more, pressing her lips against mine for another kiss, I could honestly care less.

"Hey, slow down," I chuckle out as Sookie begins frantically pulling at my belt buckle, a grunt of frustration escaping her. "Here, let me," I tell her, easily falling into the familiar actions as I place my hand to the base of Sookie's neck and guide her gently to the bed.

She smirks up at me from her prone position and I reach up, taking the small straps of her dress in hand before slowly, cautiously dragging the material down her arms. I search her face for any sign of hesitance and upon finding none, proceed to pull her dress down further, exposing her lace covered breasts before me.

"Damn, Sook," I groan out, shaking my head at the gorgeous sight before me as a charmed giggle rises up from her. I meet her sapphire eyes, seeing them twinkle in apparent delight before I drag the light material lower, exposing inch after golden inch of silken skin before my hungry gaze.

"My turn," she says, bringing me from my slacked jawed stupor as she reaches forward to take the hem of my shirt in grasp. I raise my arms in accommodation as she peels my cotton t-shirt ever higher before carelessly tossing the material aside. Her gaze trails over my exposed chest and I can't help smirking watching her eyes darken in obvious lust.

She reaches up, leaving me looking on breathlessly as she begins trailing her fingertips over my exposed flesh, her fingers tentatively exploring every line, every defined edge of muscle with transfixed eyes until her hands are brushing teasingly over the skin of my waistband to bring a slight gasp from me. She raises her eyes to my own and I give her a reassuring smile before covering her delicate hands with my own, helping her to unfasten my jeans before I'm stripping the constricting material away.

I toss the heavy material away, turning back just in time to see Sookie reaching back to unfasten the clasp of her bra. I gulp loudly, watching as she slowly pulls the soft lace aside, revealing her gracious mounds in all their incredible glory. How have I never noticed just how exceedingly gorgeous she is?

"Well?" Sookie questions softly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth in a nervous gesture. I reach up, gently freeing that plush, bottom lip of hers, shaking my head at her as a soft smile forms over my lips.

"Beautiful," I whisper, running the pad of my thumb over her lip before covering her mouth with my own. I swallow down her soft moans, deepening the kiss between us as she pulls me back to the bed where I find myself covering her slight form with my own, much larger frame.

"Oh!" Sookie breathes out in surprise as I feel her hand cupping me through the thin material of my boxers. I can only chuckle, watching her eyes widen subtly before I help her lower the material down the length of my legs. "And here I thought those rumors about you were exaggerated," she remarks with a smirk before looking up to meet my amused gaze.

"Nope, no need to exaggerate when you're this blessed," I answer somewhat smugly, earning a snort of amusement from Sookie as she wiggles beneath me, pulling away the one, small scrap of lace still separating us.

"Oh, shut up," she retorts with an eye roll before she's cupping my face gently, pulling my face closer to her own before her lips are once more softly caressing my own. My hands are trailing over the silken flesh of Sookie's sides as our kiss deepens and a small gasp escapes her as I take firm hold of her thighs to position her beneath me.

"Ready?" I question, having to fighting back a groan feeling the scorching heat radiating from the apex of Sookie's luscious thighs. Sookie gulps loudly, nodding her head in affirmation before I press forward, encasing the crown of my throbbing erection into her scorching heat. Sookie's breath catches in her throat and I proceed slowly, carefully burying inch after hardened inch inside her.

"Fucking Christ, Sookie," I groan out, finally sheathing myself inside her taut sex, my head falling forward as I let out a shuddering sigh against the crook of Sookie's slender throat. Fucking incredible. "You alright?" I question softly, raising my face to see Sookie's eyes snapped shut in apparent pain.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," she assures me, my rising panic subsiding marginally as she lets out a shaky sigh before opening her eyes once more. I reach up then, trailing my thumb over the line of her jaw before she awards me with a soft smile. "I'm good," she insists and I nod lightly, taking her at her word before rocking my hips forward in a shallow, experimental thrust.

The low, pleasured moan that graces my ears in response is encouragement enough to proceed as we find a slow, rhythmic cadence against one another. I lose myself fully to the scent, the feel, the fucking incredible sensations wracking through every nerve, every vessel of my entire body, my lusts all the while rocketing to soaring heights as Sookie chants my name so sweetly against my ear like a revered prayer.

"I'm close, Eric, so close," she finally whispers, pulling my lobe between her teeth to bring a rumbling groan from me as my thrusts are becoming harder, deeper against her, my impending climax drawing ever closer until white stars are exploding behind my eyes. Sookie's silken walls clench around me tightly, a pleasured moan escaping her as she follows me over the razor's edge before we're both left gasping, shuddering lightly against one another upon the rumpled comforter.

"Wow," Sookie whispers as I work to roll us to our sides with a contented sigh. "Just…wow," she says, bringing a soft chuckle from me as I have to nod my head in wholehearted agreement.

"Was it good for you too?" I question teasingly, bringing a snort of amusement from her before she smacks my arm playfully.

"Shut up," is her reply, a magnanimous smile forming over her face, lit softly by the pale moonlight streaming from the small window above. My heart skips a beat to see such apparent exuberance radiating from her and once more I find myself fearful to explore this odd reaction any further, telling myself it's just the blissful nature of the moment making me feel this way. Yeah, it's nothing. This was just sex, after all, we both agreed to as much. Yeah…right…


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 3

GPOV

I look on from across the crowded room, an amused smile pulling at my lips as I see Eric and Sookie putting a deserving Bill and Lorena in their place and have to bite back my laughter as I see the enraged couple stomping away in utter fury. Nice. Those fuckers deserved that and so much more.

I then begin making my way through the crowd, seeing Eric and Sookie fighting back their own laughter before they disappear from my line of sight. I get stopped by a couple classmates along the way, engaging in easy conversation before finally making my way to the darkened hallway. Now, where could those two have possibly gone?

Soft moans sound from behind the door closest to me and I freeze in place, instantly recognizing the familiar voices as my mind is trying to make sense of what I can't possibly be hearing right now. The pleasured moans are becoming louder, more frequent and I find myself with my ear pressed against the bedroom door, hearing the unmistakable sound of my two best friends having sex on the other side.

A pang of jealousy shoots through me, eliciting a deep frown upon my face as I suddenly realize I don't know who it is I'm jealous of, Eric, Sookie, or the both of them. Dear God, what the fuck is wrong with me? Why the fuck is _jealousy_ the first reaction I have to hearing my two best friends fucking one another?

"Hey, Godric, fancy running into you here," a familiar voice sounds breaking me from my disturbing thoughts as I abruptly pull from the door to come face to face with Sam Merlotte.

"Oh, uh, hey, Sam," I answer back a bit awkwardly, my face flushing slightly as I recall the intimate moment the two of us shared in the high school's dark room together.

"So, you here alone?" he questions, leaning back effortlessly against the wall as I find myself still finding it difficult to put two coherent thoughts together, currently finding way too many conflicting thoughts racing through my mind.

"No, I actually rode with Eric and Sookie," I answer, seeing his knowing nod.

"Ah, of course," he answers, a small smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. "The Three Musketeers," he teases, bringing a snort of amusement from me despite myself. "So what are your plans for the fall? You three planning on going to the same college together?"

"Uh, no, actually," I answer, an all too familiar ache resounding in my chest at the thought of being separated from my ever present cohorts.

"Oh, wow, that must be hard on the three of you," Sam remarks, clear sympathy lacing his words before he flashes a kind smile my way. "You holdin' up okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean we've got the rest of the summer to spend together and I'm sure we'll get together on breaks or whatever," I reason, not really liking the direction this conversation is heading, especially given certain unforeseen circumstances that are likely to throw a wrench into things.

"Yeah, of course," he answers easily. "But you know, if you ever need someone to talk to or whatever, I'm a pretty good listener," he tells me, bringing a genuine smile to my face as I nod my agreement.

"Yeah, thanks, Sam, I'll keep that in mind," I assure him, letting out a small sigh of relief. "You know, I kind of thought things would be awkward between us after, well, you know," I muse aloud, earning an amused chuckle from the other man.

"Oh, that," he says, shrugging dismissively. "I mean I'm open to more of that as well," he teases, sending a wink my way as I feel my cheeks warming once more. "But no pressure, I'm cool with keeping things casual," he adds just before the bedroom door is opened beside us. "Well, I guess I'll leave you three to it then," he says, lifting his cup towards us before heading back towards the party.

"Godric?" Sookie questions, shifting a bit uncomfortably as I turn to face the two of them. "Have you been, um, have you been standing out here long?" she questions hesitantly, a look of what can only be interpreted as guilt covering her features as I shrug lightly, still unsure of how I should be feeling about this surprising revelation.

"No, not really," I answer, trying my best to sound unfazed, unaffected as I work to push down the whirling emotions swirling within me. "I was actually wondering if you guys wouldn't mind dropping me off back home," I inquire, not feeling at all in the partying mood.

"You feelin' alright?" Eric questions, concern shining behind his cobalt eyes as I shrug lightly.

"Yeah, I just wanna check in on Mom," I answer back rather lamely, knowing full well my mother can take care of herself, but earn understanding nods from my friends before the three of us are making our way from the house together.

The silence between us is utterly deafening, making the short ride to my house seem to stretch on for an eternity and I find myself letting out a loud sigh of relief once we're finally pulling into my drive.

"We still hanging out tomorrow?" Eric questions, meeting my gaze in the rearview as I nod my agreement, already wondering just how awkward the air will be between us now.

"Yeah, I'll be there," I assure him, forcing a somewhat awkward smile before pushing open the sleek door of Eric's SUV.

"Tell your mom we said hi!" Sookie calls once they're pulling away, waving to me through the window as I send them a wave in return.

"Goddy, baby, is that you?" I hear my mother's throaty voice call from the backroom, bringing a genuine smile to my face as I kick off my sneakers.

"Yeah, Mom, it's just me," I call back, trailing to the back of the house to find her absently shuffling her tarot deck, a contented smile playing at the corner of her painted lips.

"Sit," she says, reaching up to pat the table and I already know what's coming as I drop to the seat opposite hers and meet her ever-knowing, unseeing gaze; her degenerative eye condition finally having made her fully blind just over three years ago. "Spill it," she says, bringing a defeated sigh from me as I know just how this will play out between us.

"Mom," I argue, earning a raised brow in response before I prop my head upon my elbow, trying to figure out the best way to explain my current melancholy. "It's Eric and Sookie," I finally reveal, seeing a knowing smile stretch over my mother's face.

"Well, that much I knew already," she replies, bringing a snort of amusement from me, having long ago accepted my mother's psychic abilities. "They've understandably been on your mind a lot lately, but this," she says, tilting her head thoughtfully. "This is different," she infers correctly.

"Yeah," I sigh out, reaching up to run my fingers over the cool glass of my mother's orbuculum. "I don't know how to explain it really, I just feel… _different_ when I'm around them lately," I admit softly.

"And this has something to do with your newfound sexual preferences as well?" she questions as I feel my cheeks flush hot, finding myself grateful for my mother's inability to see such a reaction, though based on the amused smirk pulling at her lips, I have a feeling she needs no visual cues to note my reaction.

"No…yes…I don't know," I sigh out, shaking my head as I try to come to terms with exactly what I'm feeling now. "They're sleeping together, Mom," I finally admit softly, my head falling in defeat as hot tears threaten to fall from my eyes. "Everything's changing so fast and I just want more than anything for things to go back to the way they were before," the words spill from me in a rush as I find myself surprised by how accurate a statement that actually is.

"Goddy," my mother sighs out, rising from her chair before coming to stand beside me. "Things change, little one, it's just the way of life," she says softly, running her long fingers through my hair just the way she used to when I was small. "It's how we choose to deal with these changes that defines us as people," she tells me as I raise my face to meet her unseeing gaze.

"But that's just it, I'm not sure _how_ to react, Mom," I admit miserably, seeing a smile stretch over her face before she kneels down before me.

"That's because you're trying to reason with this," she says, reaching up to run her fingertips softly over my forehead. "When you should be listening to what _this_ is telling you instead, little one," she says, placing her hand over my chest with a soft smile.

"Mom, that's so corny," I sigh out, earning amused laughter from her as she shakes her head at me.

"You may be right about that, but that doesn't mean I'm _wrong_ ," she answers back as I find myself mulling over her words. "Stop trying so hard to reason everything out logically, my child, and instead, start listening to what your heart is trying to tell you. Follow your instincts, little one, for it is your heart that will guide you in finding your ultimate happiness," she tells me, a warm smile stretching over her face that I find myself returning.

I know I have a bad habit of overthinking things, often succeeding in making myself physically sick debating all the possible 'what if's' of any given situation. I know it won't be easy changing old habits, but I can't help feeling she's hit the nail on the head with this one. A small frown forms then and as I gaze upon my mother's pleasant, accepting face, I take a deep breath before pushing ahead.

"Have you ever developed feelings for a friend, Mom, like more than strictly _friendly_ ones, I mean?" I question hesitantly, earning an amused chuckle from her as she nods her head to spill dark curls over her shoulders.

"How do you think you came to be, little one?" she replies, making my jaw drop in surprise. My mother never, and I mean _never_ talks about my biological father and I have to shake my head, hardly believing my ears as she launches into a tale I've been dying to hear my entire life.

"Your father was my very best friend, the two of us sharing a relationship not so different from what you share with your Eric and your Sookie," she reveals, her voice taking an airy tone as she loses herself in her past.

"And the two of you fell in love?" I question eagerly, earning a frown from my mother as she reaches up to place her fingers over my lips.

"Hush, child, this is _my_ story," she chastises gently. "Like I was saying, we were best of friends, doing literally everything together and there finally came a day when I looked at him and saw not my friend, but the man I loved sitting before me," she says, a carefree smile forming over her face. "It was a whirlwind romance, one deserving of it's own passion novel," she says with a snort of amusement as I find myself enraptured by her tale. "But, alas, it was not meant to be," she sighs out, standing to her feet once more.

"But what happened?" I question, eager to hear the end of her tale as she turns back to me with a deep frown. "Did you follow your heart? What did it tell you?"

"He followed _his_ heart," she answers softly, clear pain lacing her words. "Though, unfortunately for me, his heart led him into the arms of another," she reveals as a pang of remorse juts through me.

"Mom," I whisper, standing to join her. "I'm so sorry," I whisper, pulling her into a hug before she surprises me by chuckling softly as she pulls away with a bright smile.

"Why would you be sorry, little one? I was granted the greatest gift as a result of following my heart," she tells me, reaching up to fluff my hair playfully to elicit a low chuckle from me.

"I love you, Mom," I tell her, leaning forward to place a soft kiss to her cheek.

"And I love you, little one," she returns, placing a tender kiss to my forehead. "Feeling better?" she questions as I nod, finding myself feeling remarkably better after our little heart to heart.

"Yeah, yeah I think I am, thanks, Mom," I tell her, earning a wide grin from her as she nods her head firmly.

"Such a sweet boy I've raised," she muses softly, a soft sigh escaping her. "You'll be just fine, my child," she tells me with a wink and I want to ask what she sees, what my possible future could hold, but knowing she'd never reveal such a thing, only smile in return. I suppose the real answer lies within knowing you don't have all the answers and with that thought in mind, I decide to take my mother's words of wisdom to heart, resolving to follow my _own_ heart in an attempt to find my ultimate happiness.

 **AN: In case any of you were curious, Goddy's mother was influenced by the A.P. This is my version of how I think she may be as a human (And yes, I'm really enjoying writing this particular character) ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 4

EPOV

I wake with a grimace, my head throbbing painfully before I slowly pull myself upright upon my bed. Fucking hell, how much did I drink last night? I pry myself from my bed, shuffling through the house in search of painkillers as I comb my foggy mind for clues as to what exactly happened the night before. The senior party, right, Godric, Sookie and I went together, things are starting to come back to me now.

I pry open the medicine cabinet, proceeding to pour the blessed painkillers into my hand before gulping them down greedily. I freeze then, suddenly recalling the reason I nearly drank myself into oblivion. Sookie. Oh, holy fucking shit. I fucking slept with Sookie last night.

I know we said it was only sex, both of us having reassured one another we would leave emotions at the door, but this is Sookie we're talking about, not some floozy, not just another notch to add to my belt, no, this is my best friend we're talking about. How could emotions not be involved given the close relationship we share with one another?

"Ugh, fuck me," I groan out, cursing myself for my own stupidity in letting my cock lead me to my current predicament. I let out a sigh; realizing things will likely be tense unless we are able to somehow clear the air between us. Of course this would have to happen now; I can only hope I haven't managed to ruin what could very well be the last summer the three of us have to share together.

Right, the three of us. Fuck me, what will Godric have to say about all this? I can't very well keep this from him, knowing full well the truth will inevitably come out sooner or later. God, I can only imagine what a lecture I have in store from my second best friend, having been chastised by him time and time again for following the wrong head into trouble more times than I can count.

Light buzzing sounds then, drawing me back to my bedroom to see my phone screen lit up with an incoming call. I peer at the screen, a groan of annoyance escaping me before I'm left having to accept the call.

"Eric?" the gravely, familiar voice sounds through the speaker as I drop down to my bed in defeat. Once more, my parents are off jet setting around the world, in France this time I think, both of them leaving me behind to my studies, claiming I should be using this time to learn what it means to be independent. Total bullshit if you ask me.

"Hey, Dad," I greet, already wondering how'll I'll manage to piss him off this time, because I inevitably will.

"Don't tell me you're just waking up," he growls out, making me roll my eyes in frustration. And the fun begins. "You know you need to spend just as much time as possible conditioning for your upcoming try-outs," he reminds me once more as I fall back to the bed in defeat, a deep frown forming over my face.

"Yes, I am well aware," I answer back, unable to keep the annoyance from my voice as I hear him huff in disapproval. He proceeds to lecture me upon the importance of my football career, reminding me once more it's my athletic scholarship alone granting me access to the prestigious school he himself is an alumni of and I soon find myself only half listening, having heard these same words too many fucking times to count.

I actually used to enjoy playing football, finding a sense of freedom on the field, but once my father realized it would take an athletic scholarship (I most certainly wasn't about to gain an academic one) to grant me access to his alma mater, I soon found myself being pushed to the absolute limits, soon learning to abhor the sport that once brought me at least some sense of joy.

"You don't even want to know how many strings I had to pull to get you a chance at this school, Eric, you'd best not screw this up, you understand me?" he snaps, making me have to bite back the harsh retort threatening to spill from my mouth. But I know better. No one, and I mean no one talks back to Northman Senior.

"Yes, sir," I answer back, trying my best to sound adequately scolded as I hope this phone call is nearly finished.

"Good," he answers, bringing a sigh of relief from me. "We shall be home in time to see you off," he assures me.

"Sounds good, Dad," I answer back, wishing this were not the case. We say our goodbyes and I'm soon left rubbing my face in frustration, wishing I had even a semblance of control over my looming future. I reach down to run my hand along the edge of my mattress, my fingers tracing the familiar, worn paper before pulling a tattered program from it's discreet hiding place.

I trace my finger over the grainy image, a fond smile pulling at my lips as my mind is flooded with memories of possibly the happiest time of my life, the one time I was actually allowed to follow my dream. Acting. Ever since I was a small child, I had dreams of one day gracing the silver screen, but my father had different ideas, deciding acting was nothing more than a foolhardy distraction and most certainly not a suitable career for a child bearing his prestigious name.

No, instead he insisted I follow in his own footsteps, maintaining it will be up to me to one day take over the family business, eventually having to take his place as CEO over his company. How incredibly fucking boring. It's a perfectly acceptable career I suppose; allowing my father a chance to provide a rather comfortable way of life for our family, but I honestly could care less about such things, finding the entire idea abhorrently tedious and downright monotonous, bearing no semblance at all to the joy I felt taking center stage.

"Hey," a familiar voice sounds out beside me as I turn to see Godric entering my bedroom.

"Oh, hey," I answer back, sitting up to allow him space upon the bed.

"Dude, are you just waking up?" he teases, reaching up to ruffle my wild mess of hair with a smirk before setting his bag upon the floor and sinking down on the bed beside me.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," I return, reaching over to ruffle his own, dark hair in turn. He just rolls his eyes at me before glancing down to the bed, a small smile forming over his face as he reaches out to take hold of the program.

"I remember taking this," he says, shaking his head lightly. "God, you were really amazing up there, Eric," he says to bring a grateful smile to my face. "I could hardly believe you dropped drama after only one semester," he adds, bringing a loud sigh from me.

"God forbid a Northman follow a career in _acting_ ," I sigh out, earning a sympathetic gaze from my friend as he hands the program back to me.

"You know, you _do_ have a say in your own life, Eric," he says softly, bringing a deep frown to my face, my father's harsh words cutting through my mind once more as I shake my head at him.

"Not according to my father, I don't," I snap back, my voice much harsher than intended. "Sorry," I sigh out, earning an indulgent smile from my friend.

"Don't worry about it," he answers back with a shrug. "We all know how your father can be," he adds, making me roll my eyes in agreement. "So, that was some party last night, huh?" he questions, thankfully changing the subject.

"Yeah, I guess, though you didn't really hang out long," I remind him, studying him closely to see him look away as he suddenly becomes way too fascinated with my bedroom carpet. "Dude, you alright? Is everything okay with your mom?" I question, hearing him sigh softly before he turns his attention back to me once more.

"Mom's fine," he assures me, a slight blush coming to his cheeks that makes me tilt my head in question. "I heard you last night," he says softly, making my breath hitch in my throat. "You and Sookie," he sighs out, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to listen in, I was just trying to find you guys and…yeah," he rushes out as I sit back against the wall with a sigh.

"So that's why you took off," I muse aloud, seeing him nod in the affirmative. Well, at least this saves me the trouble of figuring out how the hell to breech such an awkward subject, though, I can't believe he actually overheard us. Ugh, how fucking embarrassing.

"So, are you two, like, together now, or what?" he questions, bringing a loud sigh from me as I shake my head, a tightness forming in my chest that I choose to ignore, once more not willing to look too closely at my body's rather odd reactions to last night's tryst.

"No," I answer, a small frown forming over my face. "It was just sex," I tell him, shrugging lightly even as I'm not really sure that statement is entirely truthful.

"And Sookie feels the same way?" he asks, raising an incredulous brow at me as I'm left shrugging once more.

"That's what she said," I enlighten him, seeing a thoughtful expression come over his face.

"So how did, I mean, I didn't think you two would ever-," he stumbles out, bringing an amused smirk to my face.

"I'm just as surprised as you," I assure him. "It's not like I planned on this happening, it just kind of did," I answer, a fond smile coming to my face as flashes from the act in question play at the forefront of my mind. Emotional complications notwithstanding, it really was pretty fucking epic.

"So, are you two gonna talk about what happened, or what?" he questions, bringing another sigh from me as I run my hand through my hair in frustration, having been pondering that exact thing.

"I don't know," I sigh out. "She claims it was just sex," I remind him. "I just don't want to make things weird between us, I mean, Sookie's one of my best friends, I don't want sex to ruin that," I reason, seeing him nodding slowly in agreement.

"And you're cool keeping things the way they are now?" he asks, giving me momentary pause. Am I okay carrying on like usual, just pretending things are the same? Is it even possible to go back to the way things were before? I'm not entirely certain, but I _do_ know I don't want to risk losing Sookie as a friend and if I have to carry on like everything's fine in order to ensure as much, I think I can manage.

"Yeah, sure," I say aloud. "I mean it's what Sook wants." _Surprisingly enough_. I shake my head at my own, inner musings.

"And you?" he asks, studying me carefully as I work to outwardly project the ever confidant Viking persona, trying my best to ignore the contradictory thoughts currently swirling through my mind.

"Have you forgotten who it is you're talking to? I'm the _Viking_. Casual sex is what I do, one of the few things I excel at," I proclaim, sending a wolfish grin to my friend as he shakes his head at me, rolling his eyes in response.

"Yeah, alright, don't let that massive ego of yours go to your head," he retorts, bringing a snort of amusement from me.

"Too late," I answer back, earning amused laughter from my friend as the air between us becomes significantly lighter.

"So, you ready?" he questions, pulling his ever present camera from his bag to bring a small groan from me. "Ah, you don't look that bad," he teases, lifting the offending device as he begins snapping photos of my smirking face.

"Excuse me? I always look good," I defend, striking a ridiculous pose to bring soft chuckles from him.

"Too bad the same thing can't be said about your odor," he throws back, wrinkling his nose at me in mock disgust. "You, my man, are in serious need of a shower."

"Oh, really?" I retort, a wide grin spreading over my face before I'm lunging across the bed at my friend to bring a shriek of surprise from him.

"Eric, watch the camera!" he cries out, desperately trying to wiggle from my firm hold upon him. "Gross! You're gonna get your stink all over me!" he giggles out then, securing the camera upon the desk as a bright grin lights up his face.

The two of us proceed to launch into yet another epic battle consisting of ridiculous banter and mock wrestling moves, the familiar actions lifting my spirits as I decide to throw my cares to the wind. This is our summer after all and I'm determined to make the very best of it, no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 5

SPOV

"Yeah, come over whenever, I'll be here," I answer Godric, doodling absently in my sketchpad. "I just wanted to talk, no big deal," I assure him.

"Alright, Sook, see you soon," he answers before we're saying our goodbyes and I hang up my phone with a small sigh. I know Eric and Godric have been hanging out today and I can't help but wonder if Eric already told him about what happened between us at the party.

"Shit," I whisper, flipping my sketchpad closed with a sigh. I can't seem to be able to stop thinking about what happened between Eric and I last night and I just don't know what to think about it. I mean, I know we said it was only sex and I truly thought I was capable of keeping emotions out of the equation entirely, but now…well, I just don't know.

Godric will know what to do. He's always been the one I can talk to about literally anything, even more so than Eric, though this time I wonder if things will be different considering the subject we need to discuss is the third of our tight knit group. God, how the hell did I get myself into this situation anyways? I glance out the window, a small smile pulling at my lips before I stand to make my way outdoors.

"Hey, Sook, I'm just headed to work," my brother, Jason, tells me once I make it to the stairwell landing. "I should be back close to dawn," he informs me, fastening the last couple buttons of the shirt of his factory uniform. A small frown comes to my face seeing the dark circles under blue eyes that perfectly match my own.

After our parents died in a car wreck when we were in elementary school, our Gran was given custody of the two of us, but now, given Gran's recent passing, my older brother has become my legal guardian. He's now working two jobs in order to support the both of us, insisting I concentrate on my schooling instead of getting a job to help us out financially. He's actually a pretty cool guy, you know, as far as big brothers go.

"Alright," I answer back, tossing him the keys to his beloved pickup truck. "See ya around," I tell him, following him out the front door of the old farmhouse before sending him a quick wave. He waves back before pulling out and I then make my way across the yard, my mind spinning with too many thoughts, which are starting to give me a headache at this point.

"Hey, Gran," I greet softly, kneeling before the gray gravestone, tossing away the dead daisies I brought last week as I absently deciding to pick up some more the next time I'm in town. "God, I really wish you were here," I tell her, a small frown forming over my face. "You always knew just the right thing to say to make me feel better," I sigh out, shaking my head lightly.

"Jason's still takin' real good care of me," I assure her, knowing she would worry about such things. "And I'm still planning on heading to school in the fall, though I'm real worried about leaving all my friends. I know what you would say though. You'd tell me this was an opportunity to make new friendships, to get a fresh start, but I'm not real sure I want new friends, Gran. The ones I've got now are pretty great," I inform her, a small frown forming over my face. "Well, so long as I haven't managed to screw things up, that is," I say softly, hoping I'm wrong about that.

"So, how's Gran?" sounds out behind me then, making me jolt in surprise. I turn to see Godric's small smirk as he joins my crouch before the grave, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"I gotta remember to pick up more daisies next time I'm in town," I tell him, shrugging lightly before we're standing together. "Bye, Gran," I add, running my hand over the cool cement slab before Godric and I are making our way to the house together. "So, how's Eric?" I ask, trying to keep my voice casual as Godric turns to me with a smirk. "He told you," I conclude, a small sigh escaping me.

"Actually," he starts, diverting his eyes to the porch as he pauses before the front door. "I kind of overheard the two of you," he reveals as I feel my cheeks warm in utter humiliation.

"Oh, God," I groan, dropping my face to my hands, hearing Godric chuckling softly beside me. "How fucking embarrassing," I moan out, feeling him place his arm around me once more.

"Don't worry about it, Sook," he says as I raise my face, lifting an incredulous brow at him. "Hey, at least it was me and not someone else from our class, right?" he reasons, making me feel at least somewhat better. I suppose he _does_ have a point.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I concede, prying open the door to usher him inside. "So, how's Eric taking it then? I'm guessing the two of you already talked," I pry, earning a nod in return as we begin making our way to the living room together.

"We did," he informs me, plopping down to the couch before I sprawl out beside him, resting my head in his lap. "I'm guess that's what you wanted to talk about as well?" he asks, running his fingers through my hair as I nod lightly, closing my eyes at the blissful feel.

"Yeah," I admit. "I'm just not sure how to feel about it, I guess," I explain. "I just don't want to fuck things up between us. I mean I love both you guys, you're my best friends, I don't want sex to screw that up. Does that make sense?" I question, humming softly as he continues to comb his fingers through my hair.

"Yeah, but I really don't think you have anything to worry about, Sook," he tells me as I crack open an eye to peer up at him, seeing a small smirk pull up the corner of his mouth. "Eric said pretty much the exact same thing. You guys are both on the same page about this," he assures me, bringing a sigh of relief from me.

"Thank God," I reply, suddenly feeling worlds better about this whole thing. "I don't know why I was making such a big deal about this anyways, I mean we're best friends, something as trivial as sex couldn't really come between us," I reason, hearing him softly hum thoughtfully. "What, you don't agree?" I question, seeing him tilt his head in thought.

"The opposite actually," he responds as I roll onto my back to catch his gaze. "I mean, so long as you don't let yourself get caught up in overthinking it, things really shouldn't change, not if the friendship is strong enough, not in a bad way anyhow," he muses, bringing a small smirk to my face.

"You've given this some thought," I tease, reaching up to pinch the tip of his nose playfully.

"I have," he admits, an all too familiar expression crossing his face, that same expression he's worn lately that I just haven't quite been able to decipher. "I listened to a bit of advice recently," he adds, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. "And I've decided maybe it's time I made a few changes," he says softly, his hand trailing from the side of my face to draw his fingertip gently along the column of my throat.

"Godric?" I question softly, my voice coming out much more breathy than intended.

"Shh," he answers, trailing his fingers over my lips. "Don't think…just feel," he whispers, his emerald eyes blazing as my heart begins beating wildly within my chest. I find myself nodding absently, a light gasp escaping me as his lips are suddenly pressed against my own.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I hear a small voice telling me this might not be the best idea, but once Godric's warm palms are cupping my face ever so gently and our kiss begins to deepen, I dismiss such thoughts entirely, letting my body take the lead. God, this feels so _good_ , so _right_. I throw all semblance of rational thought to the wind, deciding to take him at his word and just enjoy this.

"Mmm," a throaty hum escapes me as Godric begins pressing wet, heated kisses along the column of my throat. His kisses are trailing ever lower and as his mouth meets with the light material of the low hem of my cotton sundress, I meet his heated gaze, my heart racing in eager anticipation. He flashes me a very masculine smile, one filled with promise of what's to come and I find myself returning the gesture as I feel his palms caressing along the flesh of my outer thighs to slowly push the hem of my dress ever higher.

He gives me an inquiring gaze then, his thumbs hooking onto the sides of my panties and I find myself rendered utterly speechless, only able to nod my response to earn a wolfish grin in return. I look on in awed wonderment as he slowly draws the lace down the length of my legs and my eyes widen in surprise once he tosses the material away and begins peppering my inner thighs with light kisses. Is he? Oh, God, yes, he is. Fucking hell.

"Sook… _fuck_ ," he groans out, my eyes snapping shut in pure bliss as he begins exploring my throbbing sex with eager lips and that remarkably wicked tongue of his.

"God, yes, whatever you're doing, don't fucking stop," I moan out, lacing my fingers through dark curls, earning a throaty chuckle in return as he proceeds to lavish me with his erotic ministrations. Harsh gasps are falling from my lips and my thighs are subtly quaking as I feel my impending release drawing ever closer, ever nearer. "Fuck!" I'm then left crying out, my fists gripping onto silken locks as my climax crashes over me.

"God, you're incredible," I hear Godric sound out above me as my eyes flutter open once more, a soft sigh of contentment escaping me as I stretch out my sated limbs. I can't help but laugh in response, shaking my head at him as he raises a questioning brow.

" _You're_ the incredible one," I correct him, a small smirk playing at my lips. "All I did was lie back and enjoy," I add, earning a brilliant smile in response. "In fact," I add, a devious grin coming over my face. "I believe a bit of quid pro quo is in order," I state, placing my hand over his chest, intent on sitting up once more as his brows shoot up in surprise.

"Sook, you don't have to, really," he argues, bringing a snort of amusement from me as I finally succeed in pushing him back to leave us kneeling, facing one another upon the couch.

"You think I don't know that?" I question, reaching down to the fly of his jeans with a wicked smirk. "Just shut up and enjoy this," I insist, earning a wide grin in response as he relaxes against the back of the couch, allowing me to proceed with my plans of reciprocation.

I make quick work of button and zipper, a small smirk coming to my face as I switch gears, taking firm hold of Godric's shirt hem before pushing up the light, cottony material to expose an utterly drool worthy expanse of chest before me. Damn, how is it I never noticed just how fucking gorgeous my best friend was, I mean, really.

"Oh…," Godric sighs out as I begin tracing hard lines of muscle with long, wet licks of my eager tongue. A triumphant smirk pulls at the corner of my mouth as I continue my keen exploration, trailing wet lines over his defined chest as I work my way ever lower. I brush my lips over the line of Godric's boxers, my hands taking firm hold of the waistband of his jeans as I proceed to drag the heavy material over the length of his legs.

I sit up once more, just taking a moment to appreciate the sigh inducing sight before me. Damn. Godric flashes me a knowing smirk that manages to bring an amused grin to my face before I reach up to remove the one piece of cloth separating me from my goal.

"Damn, Goddy," I remark, peeling away the last barrier to expose him fully before me. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were happy to see me," I tease, bringing a snort of amusement from him.

"Always," he answers, shooting me a saucy wink. I smirk up at him, lowering my head closer to his lap and hear his breath hitch in his throat as I take firm hold of the base of him, drawing a hot line of breath along his hardened length. My ears are met with a guttural groan and I take the sound as encouragement as I proceed to wrap my lips around him.

"Fuck, Sook," Godric grits out, his fingers finding purchase within my hair as his head falls back in bliss. I swirl my tongue teasingly around his crown, earning a low hiss in response that leaves me smiling around Godric's arousal before I press ahead, slowly lowering my mouth over him just as far as I can.

I proceed to bob my head over him, letting him guide my speed as he gently coaxes me by my hair. I'm left moaning softly around his girth, hearing him chanting my name softly over and over, his words like a soft, revered prayer.

"Oh, God, Sook, I'm close," he grans out, his fists clutching my hair as I pick up my ministrations, my head bobbing faster, my sucks becoming harder until hot liquid coats the inside of my mouth and a low moan sounds out above me. "Holy hell, Sook," whispers, a shuddering sigh escaping him as he raises his boxers once more before falling back to the couch. I rise up beside him, a triumphant grin upon my face.

"You're very welcome," I tell him, sending him a wink before he pulls me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I find once more it feels good, feels right being held within his arms like this and a contented smile forms over my face as he begins combing his fingers through my hair once more.

I realize I should probably be freaking out right about now, questioning what the hell I'm doing sleeping with not one, but both of my best friends, but as I sink deeper into my friend's comforting embrace, I decide I don't want to risk jinxing this. Overthinking things now would only result in complicating things and possibly devastating the friendships that mean more than the world to me, so instead I decide to just enjoy the blissfulness of the moment.

"This was more than just sex for me, Sook, I just thought you should know that," Godric says softly, bringing me from my thoughts as he breaks the comfortable silence between us. My brows rise in surprise as I turn to face him, seeing a small smile crossing over his face. "It's okay if you don't feel the same; I just wanted you to know where I stand."

"Godric," I start, seeing him shake his head at me, effectively halting my words.

"Really, it's okay. I've been feeling differently about you for a while now and I realize this might not go anywhere between us and I need you to know that I'm okay with that, too. Just don't turn away from me, Sook, 'cuz that's the one thing you could do that would undoubtedly break me," he states as I find myself only able to nod in return, as I think over his obviously heartfelt words.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," is all I can think to say in response as he lets out a small sigh of relief, pulling me more firmly into his embrace. I don't know how I really expect myself to be feeling at this moment, but am surprised to find myself remarkably accepting of his earnest plea. I can't say I feel the same way, exactly, having only just accepted him as not only a friend, but a lover as well, but I can at least grant his request to not turn away from him, because I honestly think to do so now would only succeed in breaking me as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 6

EPOV

I pull myself out of bed, the previous day's conversation with Godric playing through my mind once more. I told him things wouldn't change between Sookie and I and although I'm not entirely certain this is what I truly want, I resolve to strive for normativity. There's no reason this should change anything between us and so long as Sookie feels the same way, I think we can get through this just fine. I suppose I'll find out soon enough as she and Goddy have asked me to swing by her place today as she's hoping to work on her painting some more.

Feeling somewhat better after my bit of mental coaching, I slip on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt before making my way to the SUV my parents gifted me as a graduation gift. It's a bit much really, but my parents, especially my father, have never been ones known for their subtly. But whatever, the thing certainly isn't hurting my chances with the ladies and makes for a sweet ride, so I guess I'm really left with no room to complain.

Before long, I'm making my way up the bumpy drive to Sookie's farmhouse, my nerves rising once more as I worry what reaction I may receive from my lifelong friend. I throw the vehicle in park, having to take a deep breath as I remind myself once more these are my very best friends we're talking about. Things will be fine, just so long as I don't succeed in making things awkward between us. Just be cool, be yourself, Viking, you can fucking do this.

"Yo! Your Adonis has arrived, m'lady!" I call out merrily from the front door, hearing an excited squeal trailing from the upstairs before seeing Sookie's golden head pokes out over the top of the stairway.

"Eric! Come on up! I'm puttin' your fine ass to work this morning," she calls back, bringing a wide grin to my face as I slip off my sneakers and proceed to ascend the rickety steps two at a time.

"Miss me?" I question, waggling my brows suggestively as I step before my grinning friend.

"Terribly so," she sighs out dramatically, leaning up to place a soft kiss to my lips. I can't help feeling somewhat surprised by this warm greeting, but as Sookie grins up at me, her sapphire eyes twinkling in apparent delight I decide things are just fine, things are normal. Thank fucking God.

"Well, you two just gonna stand there making moony eyes at each other all day, or are we actually doing this?" Godric calls in faux exasperation, earning matching grins from Sookie and I as we both make our way towards our third.

"Sorry, Goddy," Sookie says with a smirk, leaning down to press a kiss to Godric's lips as well. "Not feeling left out are you?" she questions, bringing an uncharacteristically wolfish grin to Godric's face.

"Not at all," he answers back lowly, bringing an amused chuckle from me as I strip off my shirt before dropping down beside Godric to let Sookie adjust our positions properly. Sookie sends a smirk to Godric, proceeding to adjust us just so with a shirtless Godric laid out over my bared chest.

"There," Sookie finally says, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Now don't move," she directs pointedly. "And, yes, I'm talking to you, Asshat," she directs at me, bringing an amused smirk to my face.

"Yes, ma'am," I return, sending a wink at her as she raises her brush before her paint covered canvas. She raises a brow at me and I settle my features once more. Sookie begins her carful task and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, realizing things are most definitely back to normal, the air between us just as comfortable as ever. I was worrying about nothing after all. I should have known sex wouldn't really change things, these are by two best friends, it would take a hell of a lot more than a one night stand to ruin a friendship like ours.

Sookie continues her work and I can't help but notice the way her gazes are somehow warmer than before, lingering just a moment longer than they might have previously upon my bared flesh. Well, I suppose things aren't _exactly_ the same, but what's a bit of lust between friends? I then note the same looks being directed at Godric as well and it's only then I notice his discarded shirt tossed upon the unmade bed; the same shirt he wore at my house the day before.

"Did you stay over here last night?" I question him, seeing his gaze lazily roll up to meet my own.

"I did," he confirms, a slow smile crossing over his face as my mind slowly begins connecting the dots. No fucking way.

"You didn't," I remark, my jaw dropping in disbelief as a low chuckle rumbles from his chest. Holy shit, he really did, rather _they_ really did. "But how, I mean," I stumble out inarticulately as Sookie groans loudly, cutting off my dumbfounded sputtering.

"Stop moving," she grumbles out, shooting us a glare of frustration.

"You mean you and Sookie?" I question, ignoring Sookie's irritation as Godric nods in the affirmative.

"God, yes, Eric, Godric stayed over last night, he and I slept together, okay? Now stop moving already or I'll never finish this damn painting," Sookie reveals, lifting a challenging brow at me that leaves me clamping my gaping mouth shut in obedience.

"You alright?" Godric whispers softly after a time as my mind is still reeling with this surprising revelation. "I mean, you're not pissed are you?" he questions, careful not to move more than just his eyes as he gazes up at me, uncertainly shining in his emerald eyes.

"No, why would I be?" I return just as softly, finding I'm amazingly not pissed at all, just rather flabbergasted by this surprising turn of events.

"Good," he responds, his tense muscles relaxing against me in apparent relief. I find myself studying Sookie closely, apparently expecting there to be some outward sign that could clue me in to whatever it is she could possibly be thinking after having slept with not one, but both of her best friends. Of course, there's no answer to be found as she continues to make progress on her painting and I find myself once more wondering how this might possibly affect our friendship.

"So are you two, like, a _thing_ now, or what?" I question after a time, feeling Godric's chest rumbling against me with low chuckling once more.

"I feel like I just asked you that same thing only yesterday," he teases, bringing a small smirk to my face despite myself. "But to answer your question, no, we're not a thing, not yet anyways," he informs me, bringing a thoughtful expression to my face.

"But you want to be," I surmise, feeling him shrug lightly against me. "And Sookie?" I question, feeling a distinct wave of déjà vu taking over as he glances up to meet my questioning gaze.

"I _can_ hear you both, you know," Sookie interjects, an amused smirk lifting the corner of her mouth.

"And?" I question, studying her reaction closely.

"And…I'm not really sure, to be perfectly honest," she answers, nibbling thoughtfully upon the end of her paint spattered brush. "I at least know sex won't ruin our friendship, not so long as we don't let it," she muses thoughtfully as my eyes widen in surprise.

"So you're what? Suggesting the three of us continue sleeping together?" I question incredulously, earning a dismissive shrug from her as Godric tilts his head against my chest in thought. "You two are both actually considering this," I muse aloud, shaking my head in disbelief.

"I really expected you to be a bit more open about this," Sookie returns, lifting a questioning brow at me. "It's only sex, after all, remember?" she questions, using my own words against me as I'm left having to nod in recognition.

"It wouldn't really change things, not much anyways," Godric chimes in, tilting his head to meet my gaze. "We'd still be doing all the same things we always have, just with the added benefit of sex thrown into the equation," he rationalizes and I find myself amazingly accepting of his rational assessment.

Just earlier I was grateful for how normal everything remained between us and that was _before_ I knew the two of them had had sex as well. Maybe this could really work, after all. I mean, what are the downsides? I get to keep both my best friends with the added benefit of admittedly pretty amazing, guilt free sex. Why am I even questioning this?

"Yeah, alright," I concede, earning mirroring grins from my friends. "I certainly wouldn't want to deprive Sookie of what was undoubtedly the most mind blowing sex of her entire life, after all," I tease, earning a mock glare from her before Godric shifts his position, pulling me into a headlock.

"I take personal offense to that, you arrogant asshole," he defends through choking laughter before the two of us are rolling around the bedroom floor together, earning an annoyed growl from our female counterpart.

"Alright, alright, break it up, you two," she scolds over the sound of our volleying wave of ridiculous insults we're playfully throwing at one another during our scuffle. I finally relent, having Godric triumphantly pinned beneath me and loosen my hold before helping him to sit up once more.

"One of these days," he mutters, shaking his head at me with a smirk.

"I look forward to it," I assure him, grinning widely in return as I take hold of his hand to help him to his feet. Sookie rolls her eyes at us, working to position us once more to her liking and I once more find myself pleasantly surprised by just how normal things are between the three of us.

"Really, you'd think just one time we could get through a session without the two of you breaking into yet another ridiculous round of male posturing," she sighs out, draping our limbs in just the right position as Godric and I share an amused smirk.

"Speaking of male posturing," I remark, a sly grin coming to my face. "How do I stack up to ol' Goddy here?" I question, earning a look of mock horror from Godric as Sookie shakes her head at me, an amused smile lifting the corner of her pouty lips.

"Oh, no," she says, draping my arm over Godric's chest with careful speculation. "I'm _so_ not falling for that one," she answers, reaching up to adjust Godric's wild mess of hair.

"Yeah, heaven forbid she deflate that massive ego of yours," Godric chimes in, sharing an amused grin with Sookie at my expense.

"Yeah, yeah," I answer back, a wide grin stretching over my face. "Sookie doesn't have to say anything. I recall quite vividly just how much she enjoyed this _massive ego_ of mine," I throw back, seeing a bright crimson crawl up Sookie's golden cheeks. God, how I love inciting that reaction from her.

"Shut up," she shoots back, reaching up to flick the end of my nose in retaliation. "Your shamelessness truly knows no bounds," she retorts, rolling her eyes at me as I rub the end of my stinging nose with an amused smirk.

"Don't you know it," I throw back, earning a snort of amusement from her before she adjusts my arm once more and stands over us to tilt her head in careful consideration. "Let's try this again," she sighs out after a moment's pause. "If I ever actually finish this thing it'll be a fucking miracle," she adds lowly, bringing dual chuckles from Godric and myself.

"Perhaps a bit of bribery is in order," Godric suggests, a devious grin stretching over his face. "Whoever manages to sit still the longest is granted a night of your pleasurable company, perhaps?" he suggests, eliciting amused giggles from Sookie as she shakes her head at the two of us.

"I rather like the idea," I chime in, earning an incredulous brow from Sookie in return. "I think even _I_ may be persuaded to behave given such enticing conditions," I insist, earning a sigh from her as she poises her brush over the canvas once more.

"Prove it, Viking," she retorts, raising a challenging brow in my direction to elicit a smug grin from me.

"Let the games begin," Godric remarks, to bring amused chuckles from the lot of us. Once our laughter settles, he gazes up at me with a playful scowl and I once more find myself amazed at just how normal everything is between the three of us, given the rather unexpected alteration of our friendship as I return the teasing gesture.

Well, this certainly isn't how I saw today going, but perhaps they're right about sex not really changing things between us. I suppose only time will tell for sure, but this summer is certainly looking even better from where I'm standing. Let the games begin, indeed.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 7

GPOV

I snap a few more shots of the muggy bayou sunset, fairly pleased with the images I was able to capture, before slipping my camera back into my knapsack with a small sigh. It's been a couple weeks now since Eric, Sookie and I began this whole friends with benefits thing, and things are actually going really well, shockingly so, all things considered. Sook knows how I feel about her and I'm starting to think she's beginning to develop more than just friendly feelings for me as well, which is fantastic, I mean just really fucking fantastic, but I can't seem to let myself enjoy it, not with the one, large elephant still left standing in the room.

Eric. I still haven't revealed to him how my feelings for him have changed as of late, and I have absolutely no fucking clue just how to go about doing so. God, with Sook is was so easy, natural even, to just tell her how I was feeling and she was remarkably accepting of my affections, even if she isn't entirely sure she feels exactly the same about me in return, at least not yet. But Eric, well, that's an entirely different story. How does one man tell another, perfectly straight man that he's falling for him, that he's interested in possibly being more than just friends without completely destroying their relationship altogether? I really fucking wish I knew.

"Shit," I grit out, kicking my sneaker against the asphalt, deep in my thoughts as I continue on my way over to Eric's place. I know my mother advised me not to overthink things and I've really been trying to take her advice to heart, but this, well, this is different somehow.

"Godric! Hey!" I hear being called out then, turning to see Sam throwing out the trash at the back of his parent's bar. I startle for a moment, not even having realized my close proximity to the bar before sending a wave his way.

"Hey, Sam, how's it goin'?" I question, mostly for the sake of polite conversation as a wide grin breaks over his face.

"Good, good, hey, can you just wait here a minute, I've got something here for you," he tells me, surprising me once more as I nod my agreement.

"Yeah, sure," I answer curiously, earning another grin from him before he slips through the back door, returning promptly with a folder clutched in his hands. "What's this?" I question, taking the offered file from him.

"I meant to get them to you sooner," he tells me as I flip open the cover to discover a stack of black and white photos. "I snapped these a while back while I was working on my final project and I thought you might appreciate having them," he explains as I begin flipping through admittedly great candid shots of Eric, Sookie and I hanging out together, sprawled out over the grassy lawn of the schoolyard.

"Wow, Sam, these are really great," I tell him, earning a triumphant grin in return. "Thank you, really," I tell him, flipping to a picture of Eric and I laughing together, our arms wrapped around one another's shoulders. The perfectly caught moment manages to bring a sharp pain of longing within my chest.

"You could tell him, you know," Sam offers gently, looking over my shoulder with a sympathetic smile.

"What? I-, I mean, how?" I sputter out inarticulately to earn an amused chuckle in response.

"I do have eyes, you know, and I'm not entirely stupid either," he informs me, raising a challenging brow at me. "I know that look," he muses, an amused smirk forming over his face. "Hell, I've worn it myself more than a few times and you _always_ look just like that when you're around both Eric and Sookie."

"But, I, we, I mean, we're just friends," I start, a small frown coming to my face. "Well, at least we _were_ ," I sigh out, dropping down to the wooden bench in defeat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with this, especially not during your shift," I sigh out dejectedly before he sinks down beside me with a shrug.

"Perks of being the owner's kid," he tells me with an easy smile. "I get to take breaks when I run into a friend in need," he teases, bumping my shoulder with his own to bring a snort of amusement from me despite myself. "So what's up, you look like you've got a lot on your mind," he notes quite accurately.

"Yeah, you could say that," I sigh out, gazing down to the manila folder in my hands as I try to decide just how to explain what has happened between my friends and I only recently. "Well, you know Sook and Eric are my best friends," I start, earning a 'well, duh' eye roll from him. "Yeah," I answer, a small smile playing at my lips. "Well, recently I started noticing I was feeling differently about them, _both_ of them," I explain, sending a hesitant gaze to Sam to see him nod in understanding.

"It's not so strange, really, to develop feelings for a friend, especially when you're as close as the three of you are," he concedes. "So, have you told them? I mean, for all you know they feel the same way," he suggests.

"Sook knows," I return, a fond smile forming over my face, thinking over just how great things have been between the two of us these last couple weeks.

"And have you acted on these feelings for her?" he questions teasingly, bringing a low chuckle from me as I nod to him.

"Yeah, yeah I have, though, it's kind of a long story how it actually came about," I answer, looking over to see an expecting look on his face. "You'll probably think we're crazy," I sigh out, seeing him tilt his head curiously. "Hell, maybe we are," I add, shaking my head.

"It can't be _that_ crazy," Sam chimes in, granting me an accepting smile.

"I overheard Eric and Sookie sleeping together the night of the senior party," I start, seeing his eyes widen in surprise. "They were actually in the room right behind us when you stopped to say hi," I inform him, watching in amusement as his jaw drops open in shock.

"Well, I'll be damned," he muses aloud, shaking his head in disbelief before hitting me with a probing gaze. "But I thought you said you and Sook," he starts, his eyes widening in comprehension. "You can't mean-," he cuts himself off as I raise a brow at him. "You mean you and Sook _and_ she and Eric," he surmises, earning a nod from me.

"Still think we're not totally batshit?" I question teasingly, watching him fall back against the wall as this rather surprising realization sets in.

"And all this just somehow works for the three of you? I mean you're not, like, _insanely_ jealous sharing the same girl, who also just so happens to be your best friend, like that?" he questions incredulously as I'm left shrugging gallantly.

"We all decided we wouldn't let sex ruin our friendship," I explain. "And amazingly enough, things have been pretty fucking amazing between the three of us, maybe even better than they were before if you can believe that," I inform him, watching him process all this for a moment.

"It seems to me, the three of you've got all this figured out then, as fucking insane as it may seem, so what's with the long face?" he questions as I look back down to the folder once more, trailing my finger over the image of Eric and I smiling together, looking so blissfully happy.

"It's Eric," I admit, not taking my eyes from the photo as a small frown forms over my face. "I haven't told him how I feel and I'm starting to think maybe I never should," I admit softly, feeling the start of hot tears stinging at the corners of my eyes.

"Godric, hey," Sam consoles softly, throwing his wiry arm around my shoulders. "You'll figure this out," he assures me as I brush away the start of my tears, shaking my head at him.

"I don't know if I can," I answer miserably. "It's not like with Sookie, I mean there's no way he feels the same way; I'll only be adding misery to pain if I let him know how I really feel about him, Sam."

"But you don't _know_ that, not for sure," he offers gently, earning a scoff of derision from me. "Look at it this way, did you ever see the three of you sharing the relationship you have now say, I don't know, even a month ago?" he questions.

"Yeah right," I answer back. "I'm _still_ fucking amazed things are going as well as they are."

"And you have your friendship to thank for that," he reasons as I'm left having to nod in agreement. "And it's that same friendship that will get you through this as well," he adds, making me look to him in question.

"You really think it'll be that easy?" I ask, hating just how fearful my words come out.

"Why not? I mean, he may not return your feelings, but that doesn't mean he'll turn away from you," he surmises. "Like I said before, if you two can maintain your friendship given your current circumstances, I really can't see this changing things, not really."

I pause then, taking his words into consideration. He's actually making a lot of sense, I mean, who else could carry on the relationship we're both sharing with Sookie without it affecting their friendship, without inciting waves of jealousy and discontent? I'm already walking into this knowing my affections aren't likely to be returned, so am I truly afraid Eric would actually turn his back on me, on our friendship? I mean, he already knows about my sexual preferences and he seems to be pretty accepting of them, maybe I'm making too big a deal of this…again.

"Yeah, I think you might be right, Sam," I finally concede, earning a half hug from him in return. "Thanks for being willing to listen, it really means a lot."

"Anytime," he answers back. "I'm really glad you felt comfortable enough to open up and talk to me. I just hope I was able to offer at least something useful," he says, that easy smile of his stretching over his face. "Who'd have thought a steamy make out session in the high school dark room could lead to heart to hearts like this," he adds teasingly, bringing a light blush to my face, even as a small smirk pulls at the edge of my mouth.

"Yeah, life is just full of surprises," I answer back, earning a low chuckle from him.

"All joking aside, I really _am_ glad we had a chance to talk and don't worry so much about how Eric will react," he says softly, gripping my shoulder reassuringly. "You guys will be just fine. Nothing could break up the Musketeers, am I right?" he teases, bringing genuine laughter from me.

"Good point," I answer, once I've sobered my mirth a bit. "Well, at least until the end of the summer," I add, instantly regretting bringing up the subject as it effectively kills my good mood.

"Hey, if you three can figure all _this_ out together, deciding on what to do about college will be a cinch," he assures me, sending an amused smile my way that I find myself returning.

"Fair enough," I answer back. "Well, I guess I should be letting you get back to work now. Eric is probably starting to wonder where I am anyhow," I add, the both of us standing from the bench together.

"Yeah, those tables aren't gonna bus themselves," he remarks, stepping before me with a kind smile. "I hope Eric realizes just what a lucky guy he is," he adds, leaning closer to press a soft kiss to my lips. "Good luck," he adds, smirking at my stunned expression before disappearing through the bar's backdoor once more. Well, I'll be damned.

A small smile comes to my lips as I turn from the bar and remains there as I begin making my way to Eric's once more. I have no idea how this conversation will play out between us, but I resolve to see it through, I mean, what's the worst that could really happen?


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 8

EPOV

"Come on just show me already," I groan out impatiently from my reclined position on my bed, earning a firm headshake from Sookie.

"Nope, you gotta wait until Goddy gets here," she taunts once more, sending me a smirk over her shoulder. "Where is he anyways? He's _always_ on time," she muses thoughtfully.

"I dunno," I answer, reaching out to take hold of her ample hips. "But I know a good way to kill some time until he gets here," I inform her, pulling her unto the bed with me to bring delighted giggles from her.

"Eric! Again? Really?" she questions teasingly, pecking my lips lightly. "You're completely insatiable," she muses, bringing a wolfish grin to my face as I waggle my brows at her.

"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late," Godric calls then, eliciting a bright smile from Sookie as she wiggles free of my embrace and jumps up from the bed.

"Goddy!" she greets excitedly, wrapping her arms around him the instant he steps through the doorway. I look on, watching the two of them as they begin kissing and am once more amazed by the fact that not even an ounce of jealousy is bubbling up within me. I can't rightly explain _why_ this is true, but am fucking grateful for it none the less.

"Alright, you've kept me waiting long enough, just show us already, Sook," I sigh out, wrapping my arms around her waist, as Godric shoots us a curious look.

"Show us what?" he questions, looking on with me as Sookie steps over to the side of my bedroom to stand beside the sheet covered surprise, a wide grin spread over her face.

"This," she answers, sweeping away the sheet to display a paint covered canvas. "Well?" she questions excitedly as Godric and I squat down to examine the painting a bit closer.

"Wow," we both whisper in unison, inspecting the painting Sookie has been working on featuring the two of us for months now.

"It's beautiful, Sook," I assure her, seeing Godric send me a look I'm not quite sure I can decipher.

"God, the two of you together," she sighs, shaking her head. "You complement each other perfectly, like you were made for one another or something," she muses, gazing fondly at the portrait as I can't help but sneak a look at Godric's reaction. He catches my inquiring gaze and a deep blush crawls over his cheeks, making me wonder just what it is he's thinking right about now.

"You, um, you did an amazing job, Sook, really," Godric stammers out a bit awkwardly, sending her a small smile.

"Well, I have the two of you to thank," she assures us, a light smirk pulling at her lips. "I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for my two favorite muses," she adds with a beaming smile. "Oh, shit," she says then, a small frown forming as she picks up her buzzing phone. "I'm running late. I promised Jase I'd help him move all the stuff out of the attic tonight," she sighs out, picking up her knapsack. "See you around?" she questions, leaning up to kiss each of us softly in turn.

"Of course, have fun with your brother," I tell her, earning an eye roll in response.

"Loads of fun," she sighs making Godric and I chuckle softly.

"Bye, Sook, great job on the painting," Godric compliments her once more as she sends us one last wave before disappearing from sight. "It really _is_ something, isn't it?" Godric muses, tilting his head to study the painting once more.

"Yeah, she did a great job," I concede, a small smirk playing at the corner of my mouth. "Though it kind of makes it look like the two of us are lovers or something, doesn't it? Must be some kind of female fantasy of hers or something," I add teasingly seeing Godric visibly tense at my words. "Dude, what's with you tonight? You're acting fucking weird," I question, earning a small frown in response.

"Nothing," he answers somewhat shortly, making my brow furrow in confusion.

"Okay…so what were you up to tonight? It's not like you to show up late," I note, seeing another deep blush crawl up his cheeks. "Godric?" I question, seeing something indistinguishable flash behind his green eyes.

"I ran into Sam," he answers softly, staring back at the portrait and avoiding my probing gaze.

"Sam," I answer, an odd twisting feeling pulling in my chest at the mention of his name. Dear God, what the fuck was _that_? "Did something happen between you two? Is that why you're acting this way?" I question, seeing him turn to me in surprise.

"What? What do you mean?" he questions in puzzlement.

"Well, you like him, right? Did he do something to change that?" I question, not understanding why I'm suddenly so interested in what may or may not be happening between my best friend and another guy.

"No, no it was nothing like that," Godric answers assuredly. "And I don't like him, I mean, not like _that_ anyways. He's a good friend, that's all," he explains, suddenly calming the strange emotions welling within me. God, what the fuck is wrong with me tonight? "Though, he did kiss me," Godric adds, instantly gaining my attention once more. "Didn't see that one coming," he muses, shaking his head as a small smile forms over his face.

"So you _do_ like him," I surmise, a deep frown forming over my face as I earn a small smirk from Godric, seeing him lift a brow at me.

"I said we're just friends, Eric," he reminds me, stepping closer as he tilts his head curiously. "But why are you suddenly so interested in what happens between Sam and I?" he questions, making my brows shoot up in surprise.

"I'm not!" I insist. "I'm just looking out for you, that's all. I can't let some guy go breaking your heart, or some shit like that," I assert, not really knowing if this is entirely truthful as I see an amused smile stretching over his face, his emerald eyes sparkling perhaps a bit too perceptively.

"So, what, you'd beat him to a bloody pulp if he made me cry or some heroic bullshit like that?" he questions teasingly, bringing a snort of amusement from me.

"Of course," I answer, plopping to my bed with a grin. "I'm always looking out for you, you know that," I answer easily, seeing a thoughtful look come to his face as he nods lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he answers, sinking down beside me with an amused grin, though for the life of me I can't understand what it is he finds so funny. "So, you ready for this?" he questions, reaching over to pick up his wireless game controller with a grin.

"So eager to get your ass kicked?" I throw back, reaching up to my headboard to grab my own controller, a shit eating grin spread over my face as I start up the game.

"You're _so_ on, Viking," he quips back, suddenly seeming much more like himself as we start our game. As we continue, I find myself sneaking glances at Godric once more, wondering just what it was making him act so strangely before.

Could it be Sam? Is whatever they talked about bugging him more than he's letting on? And since when does he talk to Sam about stuff he doesn't talk to _me_ about anyways? He claims the two of them are just friends, _good_ friends to be more accurate, but what kind of friends are going around kissing each other? Then again, Godric and I are both sleeping with our best friend, so I suppose that point is moot.

Is that the same kind of relationship he has with Sam though? A kind of friends with benefits type thing? And why the fuck is the thought of such a possibility making me react so strangely? It's almost as if I'm feeling… _jealous_. But no, that can't be right. I don't like guys. I'm definitely not gay, though Godric claims the same and he obviously likes girls as well, I mean he's been carrying on a sexual relationship with Sookie for weeks now. So, I find myself asking again, just what the fuck is wrong with me?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Godric chimes in, breaking me from my inner ramblings as I look to him in surprise. "You've lost the last three rounds, Eric, there's obviously something on your mind," he informs me, bringing a deep sigh from me.

"Just thinking, I guess," I answer quietly, unsure of how to even fucking _begin_ to explain what all's currently going through my mind.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" he remarks gently, offering me an indulgent smile.

"Um, I was just wondering," I start, looking down to my hands nervously. "How did you know you liked guys?" I blurt out, slamming my eyes shut as I prepare myself for an ensuing mocking session. Instead, I'm granted with only overwhelming silence and slowly peel my eyes open once more to see Godric looking at me in apparent awe.

"What?" he questions incredulously. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Never mind," I mumble out, scooting to the edge of the bed, a deep frown over my face. "Just forget I said anything."

"Eric, wait," Godric beseeches softly, reaching up to place his hand upon my shoulder. "That came out wrong. I'm just kind of surprised to hear you ask is all," he explains. "To be honest, I thought it kind of freaked you out knowing I like guys," he adds softly, a small frown forming upon his face.

"I, yeah, I guess I kind of reacted badly to finding out," I admit. "It just kind of came as a shock, I mean, you never mentioned anything to me and I thought you talked to me about everything," I explain, hating just how pain laced my words sound. But it really did hurt, knowing he felt as though he couldn't talk to me about something so important.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes gently, a soft sigh escaping him. "I really didn't know _how_ to talk about it, to be perfectly honest, but I really should have trusted you enough to come to you about this," he admits. "Forgiven?" he asks, bringing a small smile from me despite myself.

"Forgiven," I concede, feeling only marginally better at least having that much settled between us. "But I'm still curious, how did you know? I mean, did you just wake up one day and decide you were attracted to guys as well as girls?" I question curiously, earning a snort of amusement from him.

"Not exactly," he answers amusedly. "There was actually only one guy I found myself becoming attracted to and that inevitably led to an apparently not so private make out session in the high school dark room," he reveals as my face falls in defeat.

"Sam," I state, hating the sound of that name more and more as I lower my face, suddenly finding myself fascinated with the way my carpet fibers crisscross to make little patterns over my bedroom floor.

"Eric," Godric says softly beside me. "Look at me," he pleads gently before I raise my face once more to see him granting me a soft smile. "It may have been Sam I was kissing, but he wasn't the one I was attracted to, the one I found myself developing feelings for," he divulges, making me crease my brow in question.

"But I thought, I mean the two of you," I stumble out, earning a low chuckle from him as he shakes his head at me.

"You really can be thick sometimes, you know that?" he teases, earning an eye roll from me. "It's you, Eric. The one I found myself becoming attracted to was _you_ ," he informs me, making my mouth drop open in shock.

"I, but we, I mean," I stutter out rather stupidly, earning more light laughter from my friend.

"That's why I was acting so strangely before. I've been trying to come up with the best way to tell you how I feel for a while now, a way that hopefully wouldn't affect our friendship," he explains as all the pieces finally fall into place.

"Me. You like _me_ ," I find myself answering dumbly, still trying to absorb this rather surprising revelation as my heart is suddenly beating a bit more rapidly within my chest. "But wait, if you liked me this whole time, how the hell did you end up kissing _Sam_?" I question, bringing amused laughter from him.

"I had to be sure I was actually attracted to guys before I said anything to you, Sam just happened to be there," he answers, bringing a small smirk to my face as a wave of relief washes over me. "You're really taking all this much better than I thought you might," he adds then as I find myself amazed by my own surprisingly accepting response.

"Me too, actually," I concede, a light shrug lifting my shoulders. "I guess it's just 'cuz it's you. I don't think I'd be nearly as accepting if any other dude was here proclaiming his undying love for me," I tease, bringing a wide grin to Godric's face.

"Glad to see that enormous ego of yours is still fully intact," he teases back. A solemn gaze falls over his face then before he's leaning a bit closer to elicit a heart racing response from me as my mouth suddenly goes dry. "You okay?" he whispers softly, his warm breath heating my lips as I find myself only able to nod in response.

Emerald eyes tentatively meet my own anticipatory gaze as soft lips are suddenly brushing gently, cautiously against my own. My heart is literally pounding so hard by this point, I expect Godric to question the thundering noise as he pulls away to study my reaction closely.

"That, um, that was nice," I murmur lowly, my mind positively swimming as Godric tilts his head at me with a smirk.

"Just nice, huh?" he questions teasingly as I feel my cheeks flushing warmly.

"Shut up," I answer back, going to pull away before Godric reaches up to cup my face gently, his thumbs tracing over my jaw line gently as his emerald orbs darken stunningly. His lips press against my own once more, this time a bit more persuasively and my eyes flutter closed as I give myself over to his touch.

"Eric," he breathes against my mouth as my hands rise as if of their own volition, my palms cupping the nape of his neck to gently hold him in place as our kiss deepens. Godric's tongue traces over my bottom lip, bidding silent entry and I willingly grant him access, opening myself to him. I allow his tongue's probing exploration as I proceed to do the same, twining my tongue with his own, the both of us moaning softly. Fucking hell. I never knew could be like this. Just what the hell have we been waiting for all this time?

"Well?" he gasps out, pulling away only once the two of us are nearly depleted of oxygen. "Was that better than just _nice_?" he asks, granting me a small smirk to bring genuine laughter bubbling from deep within my chest.

"Much better," I assure him, tracing his bottom lip gently with my thumb as a magnanimous smile stretches over his face. "Fucking incredible," I add, seeing his green eyes sparkling in delight.

"God, I was so nervous about this, about telling you how I felt," he says, shaking his head lightly. "I never saw things playing out like this," he adds in soft wonderment.

"You're telling me," I reply, hardly able to believe this astonishing turn of events.

"You don't regret it, do you?" he questions cautiously and I don't have to hesitate even a moment as I begin shaking my head.

"No, of course not," I answer honestly, surprising myself with just how true that statement is.

"Good," he answers, letting out a sigh of relief before I pull him against me, laying the two of us down upon the bed. "I'm okay with taking things slow," he tells me, drawing closer into my embrace. "I mean, this is pretty new, for the both of us. I don't want to rush things," he says, gaining a firm nod from me.

"Yeah, I like the sound of that," I answer, trailing my fingertips absently over the exposed flesh of his arm to bring a soft sigh from him. "I wonder what Sook will have to say about this?" I question curiously, feeling Godric's chest rumble softly against me with laughter.

"Something tells me she saw something we both missed long before now," he muses, pointing to the painting of the two of us that remarkably mirrors our current placement with disturbing accuracy.

"Damn, I think you're right about that," I concede, wondering how I ever missed something that seems so blatantly obvious now, first with Sookie and now with Godric as well. Then again, I admittedly never _have_ been good with the whole emotions and feelings thing. I guess I'm lucky my friends are so patient with me or I'd likely still be blindly oblivious to what's been right in front of my face for some time now.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 9

GPOV

My eyes flutter open just before a fond smile stretches over my face, seeing Eric's slumbering face beside my own on the bed. He's so incredibly beautiful. I can hardly believe last night went as smoothly as it did between us. I was positively terrified to admit my feelings to him, but now, well, now I just don't think I'll be able to wipe this most assuredly goofy grin from my face. I'm so grateful to my mother and her wise advice; if it weren't for her I most certainly would not be where I am now, sharing a relationship with the two people I love most in this world, my two very best friends.

I reach up cautiously, gently sweeping a lock golden hair from Eric's forehead as I wonder once more what the hell I could have possibly done to deserve his affections. I know up until now he's considered himself entirely straight and I can't help but worry how he may respond to physical intimacy, but none of that really matters so much as he's accepting of my affections for him and is willing to at least give this a try between us.

"Hey," he whispers softly, a small smile stretching over his face as he reaches up to tousle my hair lightly.

"Morning," I greet, my smile matching his own. "Sleep alright?" I question, seeing a small smirk play at the corner of his mouth.

"You know, the two of us have always shared our beds together whenever we've slept over and I never gave it much thought until last night," he remarks as I lift my brow at him in question.

"Are you saying it makes you uncomfortable now?" I question cautiously, fearing I may be pushing him a bit too quickly before he's chuckling softly, his cobalt eyes sparkling in amusement.

"You might say that," he answers, bringing a small frown to my face. Shit. I really didn't mean to push him like this. He takes hold of my hand then, a devious smirk forming over his face as he places my hand over his silky basketball shorts, letting me feel his very obvious arousal.

"Oh!" I exclaim in surprise, a low chuckle escaping me as a wave of relief washes over me. "And here I thought you were kicking me out of bed," I muse lowly, earning a light headshake from him as he draws my hand along his hardened erection, his eyes fluttering shut at the feel.

"You're so fucking beautiful," I whisper, leaning closer to brush my lips along the long line of his jaw as he proceeds to lead my hand over him in long, slow strokes, a low hum of desire escaping him.

"Godric," he breathes out as I pull away to draw my gaze over his defined features, noting his flushing cheeks as he begins breathing a bit harder and nibbles lightly upon his bottom lip. Fucking stunning. His arms are suddenly wrapping around me before I find myself propped up over him, my eyes widening in surprise.

"Eric?" I whisper, seeing him look to me with a cautious gaze.

"Um, I'm not quite sure if I'm doing this right," he mumbles nervously, a light blush coming to his cheeks that only manages to make him even more appealing. "I just, um, well, I want this to be good for you, too," he explains lowly, earning a grateful smile from me before I lean down to press a tender kiss to his lips.

"I'm not entirely sure either," I admit, whispering the words softly against his lips. "I guess we'll learn together," I remark, bringing a warm smile to his lips. I align my hips with his own then, giving an experimental thrust that manages to bring a low whimper from him. I lower my face, a triumphant smile crossing my face as I press my lips to the crook of his neck, proceeding to suck lightly at the tender skin as our hips find a smooth, matching rhythm against one another, my head soon swimming as I lose myself to the incredible feel.

"Yes, Godric, so good," he groans out, his large hands finding purchase within my hair, tugging gently at my locks to encourage my actions. My thrusts are becoming harder, faster as is eager hips rise up to meet my own, bringing a low groan of desire from me as I continue to nip and suck along the sensitive flesh of his throat, feeling my release drawing ever nearer.

"Shit," I finally whisper, my climax exploding through me to leave me trembling lightly above Eric just before he, too, is cussing lightly, his arms wrapping around me tightly as we fall over the edge of pleasure together.

"Wow, that was-," he starts, apparently unable to find adequate words. I chuckle lightly, nodding my agreement as I curl up against his broad chest, letting out a soft sigh of contentment. "I never knew it could be like that," he muses aloud, a contented smile over his face as he proceeds to absently comb his long fingers through my hair, nearly bringing a purr of satisfaction from me.

"You're still okay then, with this? With us?" I question, rolling my gaze up to catch him gazing down at me with a warmth in his eyes I don't think I've ever noticed before. He answers me silently by catching my lips with his own, kissing me gently, albeit thoroughly to leave me grinning against his lips.

"Will you stop questioning me," he says, shaking his head at me as his cobalt eyes sparkle in amusement. "I'm not gonna change my mind, especially after that," he adds, waggling his brows at me to bring and amused chuckle from me.

"Sorry," answer, reaching up to run my thumb over the long line of his jaw. "I'm just finding it hard to believe this is real, I guess. It feels more like a dream, an impossible, wonderful dream," I reveal, seeing him grant me a magnanimous smile.

"If this is a dream, don't fucking wake me up," he answers airily, his fingers still working their magic against my scalp as I hum my agreement.

"This is a bit uncomfortable though," I muse, glancing down to our damp shorts with a smirk.

"Yeah," he sighs, helping me sit up on the bed before we're taking turns cleaning up in the bathroom across the hall. Eric lets me get changed first and when he himself is changed into fresh clothes, he enters the bedroom, a wolfish grin coming to his face as his hungry gaze trails over my sprawled out position upon his bed.

"Really?" I question amusedly, just before he's launching his attack. Wet kisses are being peppered over every inch of my exposed skin and I can't help my bubbling laughter as I find myself trapped under his endearing attack.

"Oh. My. God," sounds out then, halting our actions abruptly before we're both turning our heads towards the doorway to see Sookie staring at the two of us, her jaw practically hanging to the floor and her blue eyes widened in shock.

"Hey, Sook," Eric greets merrily, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips as his body is pressed against my own, the position suggestive enough to confirm what the two of us have been up to all morning. Sookie proceeds to let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement, her hands fluttering through the air in delight.

"Ah! You two are just so _cute_!" she exclaims, rushing towards us to kneel beside the bed, her face flushed with excitement. She starts firing off questions much too fast for either of us to answer and Eric slides a knowing gaze to me as we share an amused smile at our elated friend's expense.

"Slow down, Sook," I state, slowly, having to raise my voice to be heard over her excited ramblings as Eric settles along my side, wrapping his arm around my waist to grant a sigh from Sookie as she finally quiets her line of questioning and just stares fondly at the two of us together.

"I'm just so happy for you both," she states then, her sapphire eyes welling with tears.

"Oh, get up here, you," Eric sighs out, reaching over me to take hold of our sniffling third. The two of us work to settle her upon the bed between us and she lets out a small sigh, wiping away the start of her tears as she looks back and forth between us with a soft smile.

"I was starting to think you two would never work your shit out," she informs us, making Eric and I share a knowing smile. "I'm so glad you finally did though," she adds, reaching up to wrap her arms around both our necks, pulling us into a tight hug.

"So you weren't at all surprised to see the two of us grinding against each other on my bed this morning?" Eric chimes in teasingly to bring a snort of amusement from her.

"Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it," she answers, bringing dual chuckles from the two of us. "But I had hoped you'd figure it out…sooner or later," she explains, snuggling into our dual embrace as she lets out a contented sigh.

"Told you she saw something we'd missed," I quip at Eric, glancing over to the painting with a raised brow. Sookie follows my gaze, amused giggles rising up from her that manage to make her sapphire eyes twinkle in delight.

"Yeah, well, a girl can hope, right?" she remarks through her laughter. Eric and I join in to leave the three of us chuckling against each other on the bed, a familiar, comfortable air between us as I once more find myself grateful to have been granted such amazing friends.

"So, you mean to tell me you're not jealous of me and Goddy?" Eric teases once our laughter quiets as Sookie rolls her eyes, huffing indignantly.

"Oh, please," she throws back. "Like I'd have room to be jealous anyways, given the parameters of our relationship," she reasons matter of factly. She's certainly not wrong about that. "I'd say things are just about perfect," she concludes as I have to wholeheartedly agree. "It's really too bad we didn't try this sooner," she adds lowly, effectively bringing down the mood a bit as I remember once more the end of summer is approaching all too quickly.

"We'll be just fine, Sook," I assure her, trying to sound much more confident than I really feel as I meet her downhearted gaze. "Nothing could ever tear us apart, I mean, if we can figure all this out between us," I start, pointing across the three of us as Sam's wise words float back to the forefront of my mind. "We can overcome anything," I reassure her, pressing a soft kiss to her temple as she finally lets out a small sigh, nodding her agreement.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I, myself, am damned determined to make the very best of the time we _do_ have together," Eric chimes in with his characteristic smirk, helping to lighten the suddenly solemn mood once more.

"Good point," I chime in, sharing a grin with him as Sookie is left nodding her agreement before her eyes suddenly widen, a huge grin spreading over her face.

"Oh!" she exclaims, sitting up between us, her eyes sparkling in excitement. "My brother paid me in booze for helping him clear out the attic last night. I say the three of us have a wild bash, you know, just like old times when we'd sneak whiskey out of Goddy's mom's liquor cabinet," she exclaims excitedly, practically bouncing with enthusiasm as Eric and I shoot her dual grins.

"A most excellent idea," I commend sitting up to wrap my arm around her shoulders before the two of us are looking down to our third expectantly.

"Free booze? Fuck yeah, you can count me in," he chimes in, sitting up to join the two of us, slinging his arm around us both with a bright smile. "Let's make this a night to remember, what do you say?" We share a grin, the three of us proceeding to talk excitedly about our upcoming night of festivities, deciding to go old school, pulling out our old game consoles and fort building blankets and are soon falling into bouts of laughter as we begin reminiscing about our old sleepover days.

I watch my two friends talking and laughing excitedly together, a fond smile over my face as I decide to take Eric's advice to heart. This summer will eventually end, but I'll sure as hell make it one worth remembering…forever.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 10

SPOV

I make my way through town, daisies in hand and a contented smile on my face as thoughts of our upcoming sleepover raise to the forefront of my mind once more. Eric, Godric and I have been spending a lot of time together this summer, but with fall drawing steadily closer, I'll take advantage of spending just as much time with my best friends as humanly possible.

Fall. Just that one word manages to ruin my exalted mood. Shit. I honestly can't imagine my life without both Eric and Godric in it and now, given the more intimate parameters of our relationship, I find myself all the more anxious about being separated by state lines from the two people that mean the entire world to me.

I let out a small sigh, dropping down to the public bench alongside the serene pond, setting my knapsack and daisies to the ground before drawing out my worn sketchpad. I flip open the book and am soon working out my frustrations upon the smooth expanse of clean parchment as my mind is still whirling.

How am I supposed to say goodbye? I may as well leave behind my own limbs as closely bound as the three of us are at this point. God, what the hell were we thinking, pushing the boundaries of our relationship just before we were made to split up for months on end?

It was bad enough knowing I'd be leaving my friends, but now, as I'm beginning to think my feelings for the both of them have deepened, becoming much more profound, leaving either of them will be nearly impossible. I just don't know if my heart could take it, surely if anything could manage to break me, this would most assuredly be it.

"Oh, hey, Sookie," sounds a familiar voice beside me, surprising me from my inner musings as I snap my head up to see John Quinn headed my way, his classically handsome smile stretched over his face.

"Oh! Hey, Quinn, how's it going?" I ask, mostly out of politeness' sake as I watch him step closer and see his smile faltering around the edges.

"I feel like I should be asking you that," he answers, dropping down to the bench beside me. "You look like your dog just died or something," he says in concern as my frown deepens. "Shit, it didn't really, did it? God I'm such an ass," he mutters, dropping his head into his hands as I find myself giggling at him, despite myself.

"No, Quinn, my dog didn't really die," I assure him, earning a sigh of relief from him before he leans back against the bench, casting me an inquisitive gaze.

"Good, good, cuz I'd feel like a real piece of shit if it did," he returns, bringing a snort of amusement from me. "So why were you looking so glum then? Anything you wanna talk about?" he questions, his lilac eyes shining in apparent concern.

"Oh, you don't wanna listen to my problems," I sigh out. "Besides, I don't think your _girlfriend_ would be too happy knowing you were actually _talking_ to me," I remark somewhat shortly, recalling the way said girlfriend sent me a death glare for even attempting to converse with him at the senior party.

"Girlfriend? Ah, you mean Sophie Anne, yeah, she can be a real bitch," he answers as my jaw drops open in shock, surprised to hear him say such a thing. "And she's not my girlfriend, though she'd apparently like to be," he reveals, a sly grin crossing his face as I let this bit of news sink in.

"I see," I answer, shrugging lightly. "So why is it you're so concerned with me and my problems?" I question, bringing my knees to my chest as I tilt my head at him in question, knowing the two of us have hardly exchanged more than two words with each other throughout our high school career.

"Curiosity, I guess," he answers easily, shrugging his massive shoulders. "A pretty girl sitting all alone in the park on such a beautiful day shouldn't be allowed to look so sad," he insists, bringing a small smirk to my face.

"That sounds like a pick up line, Quinn. You wouldn't be trying to flirt with me now, would you?" I tease, watching a brilliant smile stretch over his face. That smile of his would have made me melt mere weeks earlier, but now, it's just a nice smile gracing an admittedly appealing face. Curious. Maybe I've gotten over my crush.

"Depends," he answers, his lilac eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Yeah? Depends on what exactly?" I question, finding myself smiling in amusement.

"Depends on whether you're willing to show me your drawings you've got there," he answers matter of factly, as I raise a brow at him.

"You wanna look at my drawings now? I thought you wanted to know what was bugging me," I throw back, raising a brow at him.

"I can't have both?" he questions, finally winning me over with his endearing argument.

"Fine, you really wanna know?" I question, earning an unsurprising nod in return. "I'm worried about the upcoming fall semester, about moving away from all my friends," I reveal, seeing him shrug his broad shoulders dismissively.

"So don't go," he answers, making my eyes widen as my jaw falls open in shock. "What? If it's really making you that upset, can you tell me it's really worth it?" he questions as I shake my head vehemently.

"But this is _college_ we're talking about. I can't just give up my dreams because I'm having second thoughts about leaving my friends," I argue, earning another shrug from him.

"Then go," he answers, bringing a scowl to my face before he's chuckling lowly. "Hey, I'm just trying to help here," he insists, raising his hands in surrender.

"A lot of help you are," I mutter, rolling my eyes as I lower my knees once more, beginning to doodle absently upon my lap once more. Quinn slides closer and I have to fight the urge to give him an elbow to his ribs as I see him studying my drawing from my peripheral.

"Hey, you're pretty good at that," he remarks, his eyes following the strokes of my pencil as I continue my mindless doodles.

"Thanks," I answer, shrugging my shoulders absently. "It's actually what I'm going to school for, art that is," I tell him, earning a thoughtful nod from him.

"Well, you should definitely go to school then," he insists as I glance over to see him granting me a small smile. "You've got some real talent; it'd be a shame to see it go to waste," he explains, leaving me nodding lightly in agreement.

"So you're saying I should leave my friends, that it'll be worth it," I surmise, seeing him arch a brow at me.

"Why does it have to be one or the other? Why do you have to choose?" he questions as I raise my face to meet his inquiring gaze.

"My friends got accepted into different colleges," I reveal, seeing him remain unfazed.

"You make this all sound like it's the end of the world, Sookie," he says softly, shaking his head. "There are plenty of options available to you, you just have to decide to make one, one that hopefully makes you happy," he suggests, giving me pause. Is he right about that?

"What do you mean?" I question curiously.

"You haven't paid your tuition yet, have you?" he asks, granting him a slow headshake from me. "There you go, you've still got options. Take a year off to be with your friends or if you really want to start school this fall, why not sign up for classes at the community college? This isn't a death sentence, you know," he reasons, bringing a small smile to my face.

"Quinn, you're a genius," I compliment, reaching up to give him a hug. His barreled chest rumbles against me as I pull away to see his face alight with humor.

"I've been called a lot of things, but this is a first," he remarks, bringing laughter from me as well as I return to my spot on the bench, shaking my head at him.

"I can't believe I didn't come up with any other options, I mean, it all seems so simple now," I muse aloud, going back to my sketch with renewed vigor.

"These must be some friends if you were this worried about being separated from them," he remarks, studying my drawing over my shoulder as a fond smile comes over my face.

"The best, better even," I assure him, my hands flying over the paper with enthusiasm, thoughts of new possibilities for the coming fall flooding my thoughts. We might not have to separate after all, so long as they're willing to amend their plans as well, which of course is entirely up to them, but at least the impending fall doesn't seem quite so daunting at the current moment.

"Nice," Quinn states as I raise the sketch to study my work thoughtfully. "Good lookin' guys too," he remarks, a light smirk playing at his lips. "These wouldn't happen to be those friends you were talking about now, would they?" he teases, earning an amused chuckle from me.

"Yeah, that'd be them," I concede, trailing my finger over their penciled outlines, my heart beating wildly in my chest at the mere thought of seeing them tonight.

"Can I?" he questions, bringing me from my thoughts as I obligingly hand over the worn pad, watching him flip through the countless pages of doodles and sketches thoughtfully. "These really are amazing, Sookie, it's clear to see just how much love you hold for the both of them," he notes, studying a sketch I recently did of Eric and Godric curled together upon Godric's couch.

"Yeah," I whisper, his words bringing a thoughtful frown to my face. "Yeah, you're right," I continue, earning his attention once more. "I love them," I state firmly, earning an arched brow in return.

"Yeah, that's what I said," he returns curiously as my smile stretches impossibly wide.

"No, I mean I really love them," I insist as he looks at me like I've just grown a second head. I can only laugh, shaking my head at my own stupidity, hardly able to believe it took me so long to figure this out. "I love Eric and Godric. I love my two best friends," I repeat, realizing I'm starting to sound like a broken record and couldn't care less.

"Mind sharing with the rest of the class?" he teases, earning another bout of laughter from me as he casts me an amused smirk.

"I'm just so glad I ran into you," I tell him, earning a bright smile from him. "I've been so blind for so long," I realize, shaking my head once more.

"Well, I'm glad I could help," he chuckles out, shaking his shining, bald head in amusement.

"You really have, I don't know how I could ever thank you enough, Quinn," I inform him, taking back my offered sketchpad for him, my heart positively racing with the day's revelations.

"You could let me take you out sometime," he says then, halting my motions as my eyes widen in surprise.

"What?" I question incredulously, my jaw dropping in shock. " _Me_? _You_ wanna take _me_ out?" I question, knowing I must have heard him wrong as he chuckles lowly, nodding to me.

"I was actually really glad I found you here today," he informs me. "I've actually been hoping to run into ever since the senior party," he explains. "Sophie was so rude and I never did get a chance to talk to you."

"Oh, wow," I whisper, shaking my head, my earlier insights confirmed as I realize I no longer hold any sort of feelings for the man sitting beside me. "God, Quinn, if only you'd asked me that same thing two weeks ago, I'd be falling all over you right now," I reveal, seeing his smile falter around the edges.

"Ah, your _friends_ ," he surmises, a bit slow on the draw as I nod in confirmation. "I see," he adds, shrugging his bulging shoulders lightly. "Well, if things don't work out, look me up, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing, Quinn, and thanks again for stopping. You really did help me work some things out," I tell him, granting him a friendly hug before he pulls away with a wide grin.

"No problem," he answers, reaching down to scoop up my daisies for me before we're standing from the bench together. "I really hope everything works out," he tells me, handing the flowers to me as his lilac eyes sparkle in the afternoon sun.

"Yeah, me too," I return, another fond smile coming to my face as thoughts of Eric and Godric are rising in my mind yet again. "See ya around," I throw out, starting to back away, even more excited about tonight's sleepover as Quinn sends me a wave.

"See ya," he calls, chuckling once more as I begin sprinting from the park, a goofy grin spread over my face as one words plays through my mind on repeat. Love, love, love. I love my best friends, no, scratch that, I'm _in love_ with my two best friends and the future suddenly looks promising, with endless opportunities open to the three of us. I still can't believe it took me so long to figure out what has been in front of my face this whole time, but I can hardly wait to tell them both how I truly feel.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! ;)**

Chapter 11

GPOV

I pull up to Sookie's house, parking my mother's old car beside Eric's flashy SUV and gaze up to the familiar, old farmhouse with a fond smile. The three of us have spent so many nights just like this over the years, staying up just as late as our bloodshot eyes would allow, talking about everything and nothing at all whilst gorging on mountains of junk food while movies played in the background, mostly just as white noise behind our animated conversations. And this could very well be the last time we indulge in such youthful obliviousness.

"Shit," I sigh out, pushing open the creaking door. I won't think like that, not tonight. This night is all about celebrating our friendship, not marking the end of our childhood. I won't ruin this, not for me and certainly not for Eric or Sookie. We will celebrate to the fullest, indulging in all our old youthful traditions, throwing any of our current cares to the wind.

"Goddy!" Sookie exclaims, practically tackling me at the front door to bring amused laughter from me.

"Sook, if I didn't know better I'd think you were excited to see me," I tease, wrapping my arms around her tightly as she pulls her head back to look up at me with a bright smile.

"Always," she answers back, something unidentifiable shining from the depths of her sapphire eyes.

"Mmph!" I'm then left grunting in surprise as Sookie lips are suddenly pressed against my own, kissing me deeply and quite thoroughly, completely knocking me off my guard. I finally pull away, a bit breathless with a lazy smile. "Damn, that was unexpected, not that I'm complaining," I tell her lowly, absently brushing my thumb over her faintly flushed cheek. God, she's so beautiful.

"Hey, feeling a bit left out here," sounds beside us as I turn to see Eric smirking at the two of us, his towering form leaned casually against the wall of the entryway.

"I think he's talking to you," Sookie whispers amusedly into my ear, to bring a knowing grin to my face. "He already gotten his hello kiss from me," she states louder, earning a playful wink from him before he's stepping closer, his cobalt eyes nearly glowing in desire. Damn, just that one, heated look from him is enough to practically make me go weak in the knees.

"Eric," I greet, my voice coming out much more breathy than intended to bring a knowing grin to his handsome face as he stands toe to toe with me.

"Godric," he returns lowly, his large palms cupping my face gently before he's leaning closer, his heated breath warming my lips as my heart begins beating wildly within my chest. He closes the miniscule distance between us, brushing his lips teasingly against my own to bring a pitiful whimper from me. Dammit, I want so much more, I _need_ it! I can feel him smiling against my lips before he draws my face closer, obliging me with a kiss just as deep, just as passionate as Sookie's to leave my head positively swimming.

"Holy shit," is whispered beside us then, before we're reluctantly pulling apart, turning our heads in unison to see Sookie's starry eyed gaze as she shakes her head at us. "Damn, I mean, just _damn_ ," she remarks, eliciting low chuckles from the two of us.

"You like that, Sook?" Eric teases, waggling his brows as he reaches out to goose my ass playfully, bringing a squeak of surprise from me.

"Damn it, Eric!" I scold halfheartedly, earning dual laughter from my friends as I punch his arm playfully in retaliation.

"You two are just too cute!" Sookie exclaims, gaining our attention once more. "Like an old married couple," she teases as Eric glances over to me with a mischievous smirk, a matching smirk comes to my own face as I nod my understanding. The two of us are then left launching ourselves at a squealing Sookie together as she spins on her heel, proceeding to dart forward through the house, keeping just out of our reach. "No! No! I didn't mean it! I take it back!" she cries out, bounding up the stairs, the two of us directly at her heels.

"Gotcha!" Eric exclaims in triumph, snatching Sookie by the waist just before the two of them tumble onto her bed together in a fit of bubbling laughter. "Come help me, Goddy!" he calls out before the two of us are attacking her with a tickle attack for the ages, eliciting peals of laughter from her.

"Truce! Truce!" she finally calls out breathlessly, panting along with the two of us before we finally relent, falling upon the bed together in a tangled heap of limbs. "Assholes," she pants out halfheartedly, weakly swatting at the two of us, bringing more breathless laughter from us.

"That's why you love us," I tease, leaning closer to press a wet kiss to her forehead, once more seeing that indistinguishable shine in her eyes as she smiles back at me.

"Yeah, yeah, I think you're right," she answers softly, making me wonder at her suddenly somber mood.

"Hey, I thought you asked us over to get our drink on," Eric chimes in then, breaking me from my thoughts as Sookie turns to him with a smirk.

"I did," she concedes, motioning over to her desk where she has a variety of liquor bottles on full display. "In fact, I think cheers are in order," she adds, sitting up with our help before making her way to the desk to pick up one of the glass bottles.

"And just what is it we're drinking to, Sook?" I question. "The fact that you were finally able to finish that portrait of us?" I tease, earning a snort of amusement from her before she plops back down between us, twisting off the cap easily.

"A fucking miracle, that," she mumbles amusedly, rolling her eyes as Eric and I share a smirk at her expense. "No, I say we drink to this," she says, pointing between us. "To us," she adds, a soft smile coming to her face as she looks back and forth between us. "I love you guys," she says, her words laced with emotion deeper than what the moment might outwardly suggest before she tips back the bottle to take a healthy swig.

"I love you too, Sook," I answer back earnestly, grasping her words now hold deeper meaning than they may have previously as she hands me the bottle with a tender smile. I take a deep swig myself, feeling the burning liquid heating along my throat before trailing down to my gullet. I hand the bottle over to Eric next, his own serene expression telling me he's grasped the gravity of the moment as he wraps his hand around my own over the neck of the glass bottle.

"Um, shit," he mutters, somewhat awkwardly, bringing matching smirks from both Sookie and I as he accepts the bottle from me. Our Viking never has been one in tuned with his emotional side. "I, um, I love you too, Sook," he finally says, his cheeks flushing lightly before he turns his gaze to me.

"It's alright, Eric," I interject, not wanting him to feel pressured to admit to anything he may not feel yet. "I love you and that's all that matters," I inform him, earning an arched brow in response.

"But, I _do_ love you," he amends, making my eyes widen in shock. "Don't look so surprised," he chuckles out, shaking his head at me. "I mean I've loved you both for as long as I can remember, it's just a different _kind_ of love now, if that makes sense," he says, looking back and forth between us a bit uncertainly.

"That's _exactly_ how I feel," Sookie concedes as I absently nod my agreement, hardly believing what I'm hearing. It's like a dream come true, one I'd feared may never come to pass and I can't help fearing I'll suddenly awake, realizing none of this is truly real.

I've known for a while now that I've been in love with the both of them and thought I may at least have a chance of Sookie returning my affections, but to find out Eric feels this way as well? Unbelievable. Completely, utterly fucking unbelievable. And to hear him actually admit it out loud, so matter of factly, now that is something I feared I'd live the rest of my life never having bared witness to.

"You alright there, Goddy?" Eric questions, breaking me from my thoughts as I see him sending me an amused smirk, realizing I'm just sitting here, staring open jawed at the two of them. "Uh oh, I think we managed to break him with our flowery declarations of love, Sook," he teases, finally managing to pull a low chuckle from me.

"Yeah, that's it, Casanova," I tease back, playfully rolling my eyes. "I'm practically _swooning_ over here, can't you tell?"

"Oh, I'll make you swoon," he playfully threatens then, lunging over a giggling Sookie's lap to take firm hold of me.

"Eric!" I cry out in surprise as he proceeds to easily lift me from the bed before drawing me into his lap, pulling my back flush against his chest as his long arms wrap around me tightly.

"He's just so cute, isn't he?" Eric teases, pressing a kiss to my flushing cheeks as Sookie is nearly rolling off the bed with laughter. "Oh, and I do so love seeing him blush like that," Eric adds as I begin struggling fruitlessly in his iron grip.

"Aww, he really is adorable!" Sookie cries out through her laughter, earning a mock scowl from me.

"Asshats, the both of you," I growl out halfheartedly, finally giving up my struggle to break free of Eric's hold upon me.

"Now, that's just not very nice," Sookie chastises teasingly, drawing closer to crawl over Eric's outstretched legs, coming face to face with me before stretching out her golden legs to wrap them around the two of us. My heart is suddenly racing, being held so closely in their dual embrace. I realize Eric and Sookie must notice just how much they're affecting me as I gaze up to see them sharing a knowing smile over my shoulder.

"What do you say, Sook, should we prove to Goddy here just how much we both love him?" Eric breathes against my neck, sending a shiver of desire through me before he's nipping lightly at my throat to bring a breathy moan from me.

"I think we might have to do just that, Eric," Sookie concedes softly, her silken lips brushing along the opposite side of my throat. A low, keening sound escapes me as I take firm hold of Sookie's hips, drawing her flush against me, letting her feel just how much the two of them are affecting me to bring a low moan from her.

"Fuck, yes," I sigh out, trailing a line of kisses along Sookie's jaw as hands are suddenly everywhere, exploring, caressing every inch of exposed flesh between us.

"Clothes," Eric growls out irritably, his hand getting caught in my rumpled shirt. "Too many fucking clothes," he grunts impatiently, earning low laughter from us before we're making quick work of our garments, throwing the discarded cloth aside carelessly until the three of us are left stretched out over the bed, wholly exposed to one another.

"Um, how do we, well, you know," Sookie remarks somewhat coyly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she looks back and forth between us. Eric chuckles lowly, rising up to his knees upon the bed, motioning for me to follow suit.

"There are many, _many_ ways we can do this," he remarks, leaning down to position Sookie upon her hands and knees between us with a devious grin, pressing a light kiss upon the crown of her head. "But for now, I think this might be best," he informs us, him now kneeling before Sookie as I position myself on my knees behind her.

"This okay, Sook?" I question cautiously as Eric runs his hands through Sookie's golden tresses and I reach up to smooth my hands over the silken skin of her exposed back.

"Yeah, God, yeah," she answers back breathily, drawing matching grins from Eric and I. I smooth my palms along the back of her thighs before gently caressing her hips and ass, hearing her humming low with desire.

"Oh, fuck, Sook," I groan out, my hand trailing to the apex of her thighs to feel just how wet, how ready she already is. I glance up to see Eric's cobalt eyes blazing with heat and the moment is suddenly that much more intense as I align myself with our shared lover's sodden sex.

I press ahead slowly, keeping my shared gaze with Eric as I sink inch after hardened inch inside Sookie, groaning low at the feel as I see Eric mirroring my movements. My head falls forward as I sheath myself fully and I can hear Sookie moaning softly around Eric's arousal as I pause my movements, giving her a moment to adjust to the feel of us both joining with her like this.

"Oh, God," I groan out lowly as Sookie rolls her hips against me, granting me the sweet friction my body so craves. I see Eric cupping the back of Sookie's head gently, guiding her in a slow, steady rhythm over him and work to match my own rocking hips with his, the three of us soon finding a steady, matching cadence against one another as Sookie begins moaning softly, sweetly between us. Eric then reaches up with his free hand, caressing the side of my face gently before cupping the nape of my neck into his large palm, drawing me closer to his waiting lips.

"So fucking beautiful," he breathes against my lips, his eyes darting over my face in apparent reverence before his mouth is crashing against my own, kissing me with an eager enthusiasm to match my own. I quickly lose myself entirely to Eric's heated kiss, to the incredible feel of Sookie wrapped around me so firmly, to the fucking overwhelming awe of this shared moment between the three of us that seems so long in the making.

"Oh, fuck!" Eric cries out against my lips, his fingers clutching the hair at the nape of my neck firmly as his large form trembles lightly with his release. I grip onto Sookie's rocking hips firmly then, picking up my own rhythm against her as I feel my own impending release drawing near and we're soon crying out together, hitting our peaks as one before the three of us are left in a boneless, heaving heap upon the bed.

"I never knew it could be this way," Sookie gasps out after a time, earning soft smiles from Eric and I before we both lean closer to press mirroring kisses to each side of her temple.

"Perfect, just fucking perfect," I concede, earning firm nods from the two of them as we settle in together, wrapping one another in a cocoon of heated limbs as waves of utter contentment wash over me. This. This is what I've been missing all this time, what finally makes me feel wholly complete and utterly content. I now know without a doubt my life could never be whole without my two very best friends and now lovers at my sides.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 12

EPOV

I lazily stretch out my limbs, a fond smile coming to my face as I recall the events of last night. Damn, I can hardly believe the three of us shared something so, well… _wild_ together, but then, given our current relationship dynamics, perhaps this was inevitable, really. I hear mixed laughter floating up from downstairs then and quickly throw on my clothes before descending the creaking stairs.

"Aww, that's so cute though!" Sookie exclaims, flipping flapjacks over the old fashioned oven in her kitchen. "He really must have a crush on you," she adds, making Godric chuckle as he shakes his head at her. I lean back against the wall, just watching the two of them moving around the kitchen together, amazed at how comfortable, how right this all feels.

"I think you might be right, I just don't feel the same way about him," he returns as I realize they must be talking about Sam. "But what about you and Quinn? Didn't you say you ran into him at the park yesterday?" he questions, bringing a smirk to Sookie's face.

"Yeah, that," she sighs out, shaking her head as she begins whisking up more fluffy batter. "He actually asked me out, can you believe it?" she remarks, gaining mine and Godric's full attention.

"And?" I question, seeing them both turn to me in surprise before an amused grin crosses Sookie's face.

"And what do you think?" she answers, returning to the task at hand. "I admitted if he'd only asked me out a couple weeks ago, I'd be on him like stink on rice," she chuckles out, bringing low laughter from Godric as I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Poor Quinn," I remark, drawing closer towards the heavenly smell, wrapping my arms around Sookie before placing a soft kiss upon her temple. "He has no idea what he's missing," I commend, earning a grin from her before I feel Godric sidle up against my side, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Or Sam for that matter," I direct at him, seeing a light blush crawl up his cheeks.

"Morning, sleepy head," he greets, rising up to kiss me softly. "I see you woke up just in time for food," he remarks, bringing a splitting grin to my face.

"Like you were really expecting anything different?" I return, earning mixed laughter from the two of them before we're transporting the heavenly scented spread over to the dining table together. "What's all this?" I question, noticing what looks to be various brochures spread over the table.

"This," Sookie says, collecting up the many papers to allow Godric and I room to place the plates of steaming food down. "Is what the two of us have been up to all morning while you were sleeping the day away," she teases, handing me one of the pamphlets before setting the rest carelessly aside.

"Community College?" I question, plopping down to one of the wooden chairs as Sookie begins dishing up the flapjacks and bacon from her spot between the two of us. "I thought you got into that fancy art school?" I ask her in puzzlement.

"I did," she answers, shrugging lightly. "But I got to thinking, things have changed between us. I think last night only served to prove as much," she adds gently. "And I'm just not willing to let this go, not when we've only just begun. I mean, you have to admit, what the three of us share is pretty amazing. I don't want to give all that up; it's just not worth it," she explains softly as Godric takes hold of her hand, granting her a soft smile.

"But what about all your dreams?" I question. "You were going to be an artist, a remarkable one at that," I remark, knowing just how incredibly talented she is. "You'd really throw all that away…for _us_?" I ask incredulously, seeing her shake her head at me, granting me an indulgent smile.

"I wouldn't let her do any such thing, Eric," Godric chimes in, lifting her hand to brush a light kiss across her knuckles. "And she's not saying she's giving up on furthering her education, neither of us are," he informs me.

"Wait, what? You're gonna have to back up here a sec, you lost me," I tell them, earning matching, easygoing smiles from the both of them.

"It's simple, really," Sookie states. "We just hold off another year before hopefully attending a university the three of us can get accepted into together. And in the meantime, we can take classes here at LCC, you know, get our basics out of the way and save a bit of money in the meantime," she explains matter of factly as my jaw drops in shock.

"And you just expect me to go along with this?" I question incredulously, seeing their eyes widen in surprise. "Do you have any idea how my father would react if I told him I was taking a year off from his perfectly placed plans because I didn't want to leave my friends who, oh, by the way, I just happen to be sleeping with now." The words burst out of me, my face flushing in anger and my heart suddenly racing at the very idea of having to confront my father or dare to question his plans for my life.

"Eric," Godric says softly, reaching out to place his hand over my own. "We're not forcing you to do anything," he assures me, as a wave of guilt washes over me, knowing they didn't deserve that angry tirade.

"Right, sorry. I didn't mean to blow up like that," I answer back, earning understanding gazes from the both of them. They both know exactly how well I get along with my overbearing father and oblivious mother and right about now, I find myself immensely grateful for this.

"Don't worry about it," Sookie replies, leaning closer to place a soft kiss upon my cheek. "There are some pretty incredible campuses the two of us have been checking out though," she tells me, reaching over to snatch up the pile of leaflets once more before displaying them before me.

"They do look pretty great," I comment, shuffling through the colorful pamphlets. "But these are all art schools. I seriously doubt they'd offer the business courses I need, even if I _could_ somehow talk my dad into letting me attend a school other than his alma mater," I muse aloud, seeing the two of them exchange a look between themselves.

"I realize it's not the most pleasant of topics," Godric starts hesitantly. "But have you given any thought to talking to your father about what _you'd_ like to do with your life? What would truly make you _happy_?" one of my very best friends questions as a deep frown forms over my face.

"I'm a Northman," I state sullenly. "There are certain… _expectations…_ my family has of me, whether I like them or not," I answer back, silently envying my two friends and their own caring, understanding families who undoubtedly are encouraging them both to follow their dreams to a satisfying future.

"You may be a Northman," Sookie says softly, taking my hand into her own. "But you're not your father, Eric. You are free to make your own choices, to do whatever it is that makes you happy," she says softly as hot tears are suddenly stinging at the corners of my eyes.

"You've always allowed him to run your life, to tell you what was or wasn't okay. Hell, you gave up a promising future in drama to play football just because he deemed it more acceptable," Godric chimes in. "Do you even _like_ football, Eric?" he questions, rising up to stand beside me as I shake my head slowly, having to brush away my tears before they have a chance to fall.

"I hate it," I admit miserably. "He managed to ruin it for me, insisting I be the best, that I be _perfect_ ," I spit out angrily. "Nothing short of fucking perfection for the fucking _Northman_ clan," I grit out, my anger rising up within me.

"Oh, Eric," Sookie says softly, wrapping her arms around my waist to hold me close. "That's no way to live. You deserve so much better," she states softly as I feel Godric wrapping his arms around my shoulders to hold me from behind and leave me cocooned between the two people I love most in this world.

"I could be there with you," Godric says softly, catching my sideways glace with his shimmering emerald eyes. "We could talk to your father together, make him see he's being too hard on you, that he's not allowing you a chance at the life you truly deserve," he states softly, bringing a deep frown to my face.

I can only imagine how my father would react and tenderhearted Godric certainly doesn't deserve to face his harsh wrath. I can appreciate his willingness to stand with me, to not let me face such a confrontation on my own, but I just can't bring myself to allow it. Hell, I'm not even sure I can bring myself to confront my father at all, on my own or otherwise.

"That's okay," I finally answer. "You don't have to do that," I tell him, seeing them both look to me in concern. "So, tell me, what colleges are you two most interested in anyways?" I ask halfheartedly, forcing a smile in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Um, we're not real sure yet," Sookie answers, her perceptive, sapphire eyes studying me closely. "There are a ton of options really, that cater to both photography and painting…drama too," she adds, earning another forced smile from me.

"Eric, don't shut yourself off from us," Godric interjects then. "Please just talk to us," he adds pleadingly, clearly seeing through my façade as I let out a deep sigh, standing from the table and begrudgingly away from their comforting embrace.

"I'm fine, really," I outright lie, knowing neither of them truly believe me. "I'd better get to the gym though. Can't be out of shape for try outs," I remark, trying to sound casual, to sound like I'm not on the very edge of breaking.

"Eric, stay," Sookie says then, halting my motions as I see the obvious concern shining in her startling blue eyes. "Don't leave, not like this," she beseeches softly, the two of them stepping closer.

"I'm fine really," I lie once more, slipping on my tennis shoes. "Working out will help me clear my mind anyhow, do me some good," I say I an attempt to appease them. They share another wordless look between one another before finally coming to some mental conclusion.

"Fine," Godric finally says, stepping forward to place his hands upon my shoulders. "We'll be heading over to my place tonight if you wanna hang out later," he says, rising up to place a chaste kiss upon my lips.

"Alright, sounds good," I answer absently, seeing Sookie step before me.

"I love you, Eric," she says softly, wrapping her slight arms around me tightly as I feel more hot tears threatening at the corners of my eyes.

"I love you too, Sook," I choke out, fighting down the sudden urge to break down, to let them hold me, to comfort me in my time of need. "And you, too," I direct at Godric, seeing his bright green eyes light up with affection.

"I love you too," he answers before Sookie reluctantly pulls away, letting me approach the front door. "See you tonight," Godric adds, earning an absent nod from me before I send them both a wave, heading through the front door. I shut it firmly behind me, falling back against it just as a defeated sob escapes me.

Right here, right on the other side of this door holds the future I want, the only future I know will make me truly happy and I fear I'm too fucking cowardly to do what will be required of me to make such a future a reality. Goddamn it, why does it have to be this hard? I feel trapped, impossibly trapped between my father's expectations and the life my friends are planning for the three of us.

What's the right choice? How can I know I'm doing the right thing? Do I turn my back on my family, on their high expectations of me? Or do I go through with my father's plans for my life and leave my friends behind, knowing they'll miss me just as much as I'll surely miss the both of them?

"Fuck," I sigh out, pulling away from the door, slowly making my way to my SUV. If only I knew someone who might have some answers for me, someone totally unbiased, who wouldn't be afraid to tell me exactly how it is, for better or worse. A small smile forms over my face as I climb behind the wheel, realization dawning. I know _exactly_ who it is I need to talk to. I fire up the engine, pulling away from the house and am soon making my way towards the only person I think may have the answers I seek.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 13

EPOV

I pull before the rather ritzy apartment complex, following the winding drive until I come upon the door I'm searching for. God, I didn't even think to call ahead, I wonder if anyone is even home? I park and gaze up at the towering building, hoping this hasn't been a fruitless endeavor. I check the rearview, noting my reddened eyes and let out a defeated sigh, knowing I look just as shitty as I feel before I'm exiting the vehicle and making my way towards what I hope are words of wisdom.

I come to the correctly numbered door, having been here only one time before and take a deep breath to prepare myself before knocking lightly upon the richly stained wood. I'm granted with only silence and begin knocking a bit louder, hoping I haven't driven all this way in vain.

"God, hold your fucking horses," I hear being called out irritably before a wide grin spreads over my face. Oh, she's home alright. "Let a woman get some fucking coffee in her system," I hear being grumbled out before the door flings open before me, blue eyes widening in surprise. "Well, fuck a zombie, if it isn't the Viking."

"Hey, Pam," I greet, fond smiles shared between old friends. "Um, is this a bad time?" I question hesitantly, seeing a vaguely familiar brunette sluggishly approaching the two of us, clad in only panties and a tank top.

"Oh, her? Don't worry about Ames, here," she answers easily, slinging her arm around the yawning woman before placing a soft kiss to her flushed cheek. "Come in, come in, it's been way too fucking long," she insists, bringing a sigh of relief from me before I'm stepping inside the lush quarters, my gaze floating over the set of rooms curiously, recalling Pam's girlfriend comes from a rather wealthy family somewhere out of state.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this," I tell her, following the two lethargic women into the kitchen where they proceed to pour steaming cups of coffee. "I guess I should have called first," I admit somewhat sheepishly, seeing Pam cast me an amused smirk.

"Don't worry about it," she answers, handing a steaming mug to her tired companion with a kiss. "Though, if I knew you were coming, I may have bothered with dressing," she adds with a smirk, glancing down to her silken pajamas with a dismissive shrug. "So, tell me, Viking, what's the meaning of this unexpected visit? Not that I'm not fucking thrilled to see your fine ass again," she adds with a wink, bringing a low chuckle from me, despite myself.

"It really has been a while," I remark, seeing Pam's smile falter around the edges, realizing I've hit a nerve with that last comment. "Um, sorry," I mutter, earning another shrug as the three of us make our way into the living room together, mugs in hand. "I know it's not exactly the most pleasant of subjects, but I kind of need some advice," I admit, dropping to the chair across from the two women. "Advice I think only you may be able to provide," I add lowly, seeing a small frown settle upon my old friend's face as she nods lightly, apparently understanding my situation.

"Ah, the problems of the privileged," she sighs out somewhat petulantly. "Always gotta live up to that fucking family name," she adds with an eye roll, earning a chaste kiss on the cheek from her companion before the two of them share a fond smile.

"Fucking tell me about it," I grumble out, earning amused smirks from the two of them.

"So, you're wondering if it was all worth it? If I regret turning my back on the illustrious Ravenscroft name?" she questions, arching a brow at me as she absently trails her fingers through her companion's dark hair.

"Pretty much, yeah," I answer, shaking my head. "You know, at first I thought you were fucking nuts standing up to your parents the way you did," I admit, seeing Pam's classic smirk pulling at her lips. "But now, well, now I can't help but fucking _envy_ your courage," I admit, earning a glowing smile from my childhood friend.

"A fine compliment coming from the courageous Viking," she remarks teasingly, sending me a playful wink before her features sober. "I can't lie to you, Eric, it wasn't fucking easy and to be perfectly honest, more than a few times, the thought of crawling back into my parent's good graces _did_ cross my mind," she admits softly, earning my full attention.

"But _was_ it worth it, in the end?" I question, seeing her send a fond smile to her dark haired lover.

"Fuckin' A right, it was," she answers, placing a soft kiss to her girlfriend's forehead before turning her attention back to me. "So, your father's finally pushed you too far, huh? Surprised it took this long, in all honesty. You're old man's a real fucking piece of work," she muses, bringing an eye roll from me.

"No shit," I answer, sighing in defeat. "I'm fucking terrified to finally stand up to him," I admit, earning knowing looks from the both of them. "But, to be perfectly honest, I think I'm even _more_ terrified at the idea of not finally taking a stand," I admit lowly, images of Sookie and Godric and the life I long to share with the both of them floating to the forefront of my mind.

"Eric, I completely understand, probably better than most," Pam remarks, sitting forward as she grants me a sympathetic smile. "But you can't let them rule your life forever. It's not fucking worth it," she states, earning a small frown from me.

"But your family kicked you out, Pam," I remind her miserably, fear suddenly welling within my chest. "Hell, your parents practically fucking disowned you. Do you really think my own father will react any differently once he finds out I'm turning my back on his plans for my life, on the company he's practically, singlehandedly built by hand?"

"No," she answers simply, making my brows rise in surprise. "No, Eric, I'm sure your father will react _exactly_ the same way my own parents did," she states firmly, bringing a defeated sigh from me as I know she's likely right about this.

"And you can still tell me it's all worth it; that you don't regret walking away?" I question softly, seeing her blue eyes soften as she nods to me.

"Eric, your family wants you to take over the family business, which, yeah, you shouldn't have to do if it's not what you want for your own life, but my family," she sighs out shaking her head. "Did you know they actually had an arranged marriage set up for me?" she questions as my jaw drops in shock.

"I mean, I'd heard rumors, but I'd really fucking hoped that's all they were," I admit, earning an eye roll from her as her girlfriend clutches onto her hand tightly, sending her a concerned gaze.

"Oh, they were fucking true alright," she admits, gritting her teeth in ire. "They really expected me to just marry some total stranger, to just be content with being the perfect little housewife, pushing out hordes of grandkids for them, can you even fucking imagine? Me? A little fucking housewife? And kids? Just what fucking century do they think we're living in anyways? No fucking way, I just couldn't do it," she says with a cringe.

"Damn, and here I thought I had it bad," I remark, earning a low chuckle from her. "But didn't they know you were gay? I mean, it's not like you ever tried to hide it or anything," I muse earning a snort of amusement from her.

"Yeah, well, they're still convinced it's just a stage, that I'll grow out of it someday," she answers with an eye roll. "Like such a thing is even fucking possible," she grumbles, earning a smirk from me as flashes of shared kisses with Godric are suddenly invading my thoughts.

"Yeah," I answer absently, earning amused gazes from the women before me.

"So, tell me, Viking," Pam starts with a smirk. "Just what is it that's finally managed to push you too far? Don't tell me Northman Senior is trying to marry his only son off to some duchess or something," she teases, bringing low laughter from me as I shake my head.

"No, no, nothing like that, thank fucking Christ," I answer wholeheartedly. "I guess I've just had an epiphany of sorts, seeing a glimpse of a possible future for myself that isn't entirely soul crushing," I answer, a fond smile forming over my face as such a future doesn't currently seem quite so farfetched.

"Don't tell me the mighty Viking has finally fallen head over heels for a sweet piece of tail," Pam muses, arching a brow at me as I have to chuckle once more at my old friend's antics.

"I guess you could say that," I grant her, seeing her eyes widen surprise before she's leaning closer, a magnanimous smile stretched impossibly wide over her face.

"Do tell," she insists, earning a snort of amusement from her girlfriend as I lean closer, taking in her eager gaze with a small smirk. "Do I know her at least? What if I don't approve? You'd better tell me who this mystery woman is, Eric," she demands, eliciting genuine laughter from me.

"So demanding," I tease, earning an impatient sigh from her. "And yes, you _do_ know who I'm talking about," I inform her, seeing her eyes alight in anticipation. "Both of them, actually," I add knowingly, watching amusedly as her jaw drops open in shock.

"Both?!" she exclaims, eliciting mixed laughter from her girlfriend and I at her expense. "Just what the fuck have you been up to these past few months?"

"A lot, apparently," I answer sardonically, earning a rather painful punch in the arm from her. "Oh, ouch, and the abuse begins," I tease, shaking my head at her as she hits me with an impatient scowl.

"Spill," she demands, pointing a perfectly manicured nail at me.

"Fine, fine," I sigh out, knowing she'll only berate me further lest I enlighten her. "So, you remember Godric and Sookie, right?" I question, seeing her tilt her head curiously.

"Those friends of yours from the public school?" she questions, earning a nod from me. "I never could understand why your parents insisted you go there," she muses offhandedly. "But, yeah, I remember them, I mean the three of you were always hanging out together," she muses aloud before her eyes widen in realization. "Oh, fuck a zombie," she blurts out, shaking her head in disbelief. "The three of you?" she asks in shock, earning a firm nod from me.

"That would be correct," I concede, watching her leisurely fall back against the couch before a slow smile stretches over her face.

"Well, well, well, welcome to the dark side, Viking," she purrs, eliciting a low chuckle from me. "And how, pray tell, did Daddy dearest take this bit of news?" she questions, bringing a snort of derision from me.

"Oh, fucking please, like I'd enlighten him to matters of my love life," I sigh out, not wanting to even think about how my father would react to this particular bit of news.

"True enough," she remarks amusedly. "Though, I have to say, I never saw the ultimate womanizer ever actually becoming a one woman man, with another man on the side to boot," she remarks thoughtfully, earning a dismissive shrug from me. "I'm actually impressed."

"Thanks," I snort out in amusement. "And that makes two of us," I admit. "I'm not even sure how it all happened, really, and I'm not really sure I even fucking care in all honesty, I just know I don't want to start a life without the two of them. I love them, Pam, I really do," I divulge, earning a warm smile from my old friend.

"A fucking grand thing love is, wouldn't you agree?" she remarks, taking hold of her girlfriends hand, lacing their fingers together before brushing her lips gently over the blushing brunette's knuckles.

"Oh, Pam," her girlfriend remarks softly, pulling their entwined fingers closer to press a soft kiss over Pam's fingertips in turn.

"It really is," I admit, smiling fondly at the two of them. Just seeing the two of them, content, happy and so obviously head over heels for one another is reason enough to want exactly the same thing for myself. I won't delude myself into thinking it'll be easy, finally standing up to my father and informing him of my decision to lead a life of my own, but I now have no doubts that it'll all inevitably be well worth it.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! ;)**

Chapter 14

SPOV

I pull Godric's arms around me more tightly, my frown deepening as I glance up to the worn face of the antique grandfather clock setting against the wall of his living room. I was really hoping Eric would be back by now. I know he was really upset earlier and I can't help inwardly kicking myself for not realizing what a delicate subject we were raising, mentioning his father's plans for his future. God, I'm such an idiot and now fear I've managed to scare him off, which is the exact opposite of what I'd hoped to accomplish.

"He'll come back," Godric says softly, having rightly guessed at my inner musings. "He just needs a little time to process everything, Sook," he reassures me, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.

"I was so stupid though," I sigh out, earning a small frown from him. "I should have found a better way to broach the subject. I feel like I just dropped a bomb on him. God, what if he doesn't come back?" I ramble on fearfully, hearing Godric sigh softly against my ear.

"You can't blame yourself, Sook, and trust me when I say there is no delicate way to bring up Northman senior," he informs me, earning a light nod in response.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," I sigh out, still unable to quell my rising fears that I've somehow managed to fuck this all up and just when things were going so well for all of us. "I could hardly believe when Eric admitted he loved the both of us," I remark then in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

"You're telling me," he responds, a snort of amusement escaping him. "Our Viking's come a long way, coming to terms with his feelings," he remarks, a fond smile shared between us as I nod my agreement.

"So, have the two of you…?" I question curiously then, earning an arched brow in return as a light blush crawls up his cheeks.

"Um, no, we haven't done, well _that_ ," he answers lowly. "We really haven't had a chance to do much at all, really," he adds thoughtfully, earning an understanding nod from me.

"So are you nervous? About having sex with him?" I question curiously, seeing him look to me in surprise. "What?" I question, smirking at his flushing cheeks. "It's a legitimate question," I insist as he shakes his head at me, an amused smile on his face. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want, I was just curious is all," I explain, earning a shrug in return.

"Maybe a bit," he answers softly, a fond smile stretching over his face. "Mostly I'm just excited though, I mean, I never saw things playing out like this between us, I think I'm still in shock to be completely honest," he answers, earning an understanding nod from me, a soft smile forming over my lips.

"I still can't believe it took you two so long to see what I've known for a while now," I remark, earning a smirk in return.

"Oh, and I suppose you foresaw the events of last night playing out the way they did as well?" he questions teasingly, bringing a snort of amusement from me.

"Touché," I answer back, the two of us sharing a grin before I hear soft footsteps approaching.

"Um, hey," Eric greets lowly, nervously reaching back to scratch the back of his neck before the two of us are shooting to our feet and pulling him into our dual embrace, bringing low laughter from him. "Damn, I haven't even been gone an entire day," he chuckles out, looking between us with a fond smile, his long arms wrapped tightly around the two of us.

"I'm so sorry about this morning, Eric," I inform him solemnly. "I didn't mean to put unnecessary pressure on you. I really should have known better," I admit, seeing him shake his head at me, a soft sigh escaping him.

"Totally not your fault, either of you," he assures us, brushing back my hair with a tender smile before granting Godric the same. "I had my own shit to work through and I'm only sorry I left you both the way I did," he remarks softly, a small frown forming over his handsome face.

"We're just glad to have you back," Godric assures him as I nod my agreement. "I'm guessing you're feeling better now?" he questions as we both look to him with matching concern.

"Yeah, yeah, a bit," he answers, none of his previous sadness shining in his cobalt eyes. "I had a talk with an old friend of mine and she really helped me work through some things," he explains, earning knowing nods from the two of us.

"Pam," Godric and I say in unison, sharing a smirk as Eric chuckles at the two of us, nodding in the affirmative.

"How is she?" Godric questions in concern, bringing a wide grin to Eric's face.

"Good, she's good," he answers, looking back and forth between us speculatively. "She, uh, she helped me to see a few things a bit more clearly," he admits as I nod in understanding, knowing enough of his old friend's backstory to realize she was likely the perfect person for him to talk to about all this.

"I'm so glad to hear that," I tell him, wrapping my arms around him to hold him close, smiling softly against his chest as I realize things will be alright after all, that I haven't managed to mess this up between us.

"Hey, where's your mom? She usually meets me at the door with cookies or pastries or something," Eric remarks with a grin, earning a shrug from Godric.

"She's at some convention with her girlfriends," he remarks offhandedly. "Knowing mom, she's probably stirring up some sort of trouble," he adds amusedly, bringing knowing chuckles from the two of us.

"So what you're saying is, we've got the place to ourselves," Eric remarks lowly, a wolfish grin spreading over his face as Godric and I share a knowing smile. Oh, Eric's back alright.

"You know you've got a one-track mind, right?" I tease, seeing his grin widen as he unabashedly nods in agreement.

"Only when it comes to the two of you," he leans down to breathe against my ear, his large hand sneaking under my shirt as his arm wraps firmly around my waist to draw me tightly against his firm chest. My heart is already racing, being held so tightly against him and I can't help but wonder if he'll always have this strong an effect on me.

"Hmm, I don't know, Sook, we don't want him thinking he can just show up and get laid whenever he wants, do we?" Godric teases, stepping behind Eric to snake his arms around him as he earns a playful pout from the blonde in question.

"You might have a point, Goddy, we're really teaching him bad habits," I play along, seeing Eric roll his eyes at us before a wicked grin stretches over his face.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Eric chimes in, pulling away from us with an exaggerated sigh. "Maybe I should just get ready for bed," he remarks, taking the hem of his shirt in hand before slowly peeling the light material up over his head, exaggeratedly stretching out his toned chest before us to leave me practically drooling. Damn what that boy does to my libido.

"Um…bed, yeah," Godric sounds breathily beside me, apparently just as mesmerized as I, as we watch Eric continuing his little show, proceeding to slowly peel open his fly before letting his jeans fall to an unceremonious heap at his ankles.

"Well, 'night," Eric remarks slyly, slowly bending down to grace the two of us with the sight of that spectacular ass of his as he slowly begins gathering up his shed clothing. Godric gulps audibly beside me and I'm having just as much difficulty holding myself back as we watch Eric casually strolling away in all his near naked perfection.

"Damn," I whisper, earning an absent nod from Godric. "I think he won this one," I remark, earning a snort of amusement from him before we're both racing through the house after our third.

"It's about damn time," Eric remarks from his stretched out position on Godric's bed, a triumphant grin upon his face as he watches Godric and I stumble through the bedroom doorway together.

"Yeah, yeah, you win," Godric concedes with a smirk, curling his finger to bid him closer. "Now get that fine ass of yours over here," he remarks, eliciting low laughter from the three of us as Eric eagerly obliges his request.

"I think you two are a bit overdressed," Eric remarks, stepping before me with a smirk before taking the thin straps of my dress in hand, proceeding to slowly peel the material down along my arms to bring a soft sigh from me. I then watch him turn, looking on in awe as he grants Godric the same attention, slowly peeling away his t-shirt before throwing the discarded material away.

A small gasp then sounds from Godric as Eric proceeds to take firm hold of the waistband of his jeans, pulling him closer before he's slowly dragging open his fly, placing a soft kiss to his throat before working to free him of the heavy material. I'm left staring, open-jawed at the two of them, struck dumb by their mirroring beauty and as they slowly turn to hit me with dual, passionate gazes, my breath hitches in my throat as my mouth suddenly goes dry. Eric bids me closer, a wicked smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth before he leans down to press a wet kiss just below my ear, sending an anticipatory shiver through me.

"On your knees," he breathes against my ear, leaving me gulping loudly as I eagerly nod, dropping to the floor before the two of them, eagerly anticipating whatever is to come. I see Eric lean over to whisper something to Godric, earning an eager nod from his dark haired counterpart before he's dropping to his knees before me.

"Come here, beautiful," Godric whispers, reaching forward to take gentle hold of my face before drawing me towards his waiting lips. I sigh softly into his mouth, eagerly matching his own enthusiasm as our kiss quickly deepens, becoming intense and all consuming.

"Godric," I'm left moaning against his mouth, feeling his scorching palm suddenly cupping my sex, his clever fingers soon exploring, probing my throbbing sex to bring throaty moans from me. Long, familiar fingers are suddenly combing through my hair and I glance up to see Eric still standing over the two of us, his cobalt eyes blazing in desire. I make to pull away from Godric's kiss, curious as to why he's not joining us when I'm suddenly being pulled atop Godric's lap.

"Oh!" I gasp in surprise, meeting Godric's smirking face before he's grinding his ample girth against me. "Oh…," I'm left moaning low, meeting his teasing thrusts with rocking hips before he's reaching down to align himself with my sodden entrance.

"Sook, fuck," he groans out, his face falling into the crook of my neck as I slowly lower myself over him, relishing the feel of him filling me so completely. I smile fondly against his dark locks, holding him close once our bodies are fully married to one another, my heart bursting with love before dexterous fingers are once more trailing gently through my hair.

I turn my attention up to Eric once more, seeing him smiling fondly at the two of us before he leans down to press a soft kiss upon my forehead. Godric raises his head from my shoulder then, looking up to Eric, his emerald eyes shining in adoration as the towering blonde proceeds to comb his long fingers through his dark locks before pressing a tender kiss the crown of his head.

"I love you, both of you," Eric states softly, reverently, looking back and forth between us to earn matching, soft smiles from the both of us.

"I love you too," Godric and I reply in unison, earning low chuckling from the blonde before he pulls himself upright beside us. Once more, I want to ask why he's not joining us and just as I open my mouth to ask, I see Eric peeling away his shorts, proffering his hardened erection before us.

"Oh," I remark softly, a small smirk playing at my lips as I realize what it is he wants. I glance over to catch Godric's own smirk and he sends me a knowing wink before we're both leaning slightly ahead, granting Eric's length dual kisses to bring a soft sigh from him.

"Fuck," Eric hisses out as Godric and I proceed to lavish him with languid licks and teasing sucks, the two of us quickly working out a system together to leave Eric groaning lowly above us. Soon getting the hang of our mirroring actions, I roll my hips against Godric, earning a pleasured groan from him as he takes firm hold of my hips, helping to guide me over him.

"Mmm, God, yes," Godric sounds breathily as the three of us proceed to bring one another ever closer to the brink. Eric has a firm hold upon the back of both mine and Godric's heads and we follow his lead, taking turns driving him closer to completion as our own rocking hips continue their wicked dance against one another.

I close my eyes, losing myself completely to our joining, awed by the shared love, the overwhelming sense of rightness I feel being joined with the two men that mean the absolute world to me. As crazy as this relationship may seem to outsiders, I know I wouldn't change one damn thing about it. This is right. This is perfect.

"Oh, God, almost, almost," Eric groans, bringing me from my inner musings as I wrap my lips more firmly around him just in time to swallow down the fruits of our labor, earning a shuddering sigh from him as he hits his release.

"Sookie," sounds against my cheek just before Godric is turning my face, his lips crashing against my own. Our tongues are twining against one another, our intense kiss laced with the heady flavor of Eric's release as Godric's hips are picking up their pace, leaving him thrusting against me harder, deeper to bring me ever closer to the brink.

"Shit!" I'm left crying out, my arms wrapping around Godric's neck tightly, a shudder running through me as my climax crashes over me. With a final, hard thrust, Godric is left cursing lightly against my ear, a mirroring tremor running through him as he follows me over pleasure's edge.

Eric kneels down beside us, a soft sigh escaping him as he wraps his long arms around us both. I smile fondly, watching him kiss Godric softly before turning his attention to me. He presses his lips against my own, kissing me tenderly and as I pull away, I catch his gaze, finding myself looking for any sign of hesitance from him.

I can't help worrying he might run again; knowing full well things are only apt to get worse for him before they ever have a chance of getting better. He must note my anxiety though, as he grants me a soft smile, his golden head shaking slightly.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he assures me, earning a nod in return as I see the sincerity of his words shining clearly from the depths of his cobalt eyes. "Nothing could take me away from the two people I love most," he adds, smiling softly at the two of us.

"Good, 'cuz I'm not letting you go anywhere," I respond, earning a low chuckle from him as he nods his agreement.

"Three Musketeers, right?" Godric chimes in, a playful smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

"All for one, one for all," Eric adds, eliciting low laughter from the three of us. I smile fondly at the two people who mean so much to me and know my life would be wholly incomplete without the both of them. I won't delude myself into thinking things will always be easy, in fact, I know they aren't apt to be, but I also know whatever life throws at us, the three of us will surely overcome, our love for one another will ensure as much.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: WARNING: This chapter includes male/male sex...if you are uncomfortable with this, I suggest skipping this chapter altogether...**

 **For everyone else; Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 15

GPOV

"Hey, what's goin' on in that head of yours?" I ask of Eric, bumping my shoulder against his own as he continues to stare down at the acceptance letter held tightly within his large hands. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" I question, seeing him snap his head up before he's earnestly shaking his head.

"No, no, not at all," he assures me, bringing a sigh of relief from me before I sidle closer, wrapping my arm around his waist. "Just thinking, I guess," he answers softly, falling deeper into my embrace with a soft sigh.

"It's gonna be great, Eric, really," I tell him, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "So long as we're all together, everything will be just fine."

"Yeah," he answers softly, looking back to the paper as his long fingers trail over the simple, black lettering. "It just makes it all real somehow, you know, finally getting our letters?" he muses as I nod my agreement, Sookie and I having received our own acceptance letters only days prior.

"You sure you're okay with this? 'Cuz you can tell me if you're not, I'll understand, Eric," I repeat for what must be the hundredth time, still fearing we may be pushing him too hard and the very last thing I want is to see him run again.

"I'm great, really," he says, turning his head to meet my wary gaze. "Better than ever actually," he says, a small smile pulling at his lips. "When I think of the future now, it suddenly doesn't seem like a fucking prison sentence. I'm not gonna change my mind, Godric, I want this, to be with you both, to finally follow a path I've created for myself," he explains, earning a genuine smile from me as I note the sincerity of his words.

"Good," I answer, leaning closer to press my lips against his own, kissing him softly. "I don't want to even _think_ of a future without you in it," I whisper against his lips, feeling his own lips curl into a smile.

"Is that so?" he answers back, his cobalt eyes alight with mischief.

"It is," I answer back, a wide grin spreading over my face as he rises above me. He meets my grin with one of his own before his face is buried into the crook of my neck where he proceeds to lavish my tender flesh with hot kisses and teasing sucks.

"Godric," he breathes against my ear, earning a low hum in response as I twine my fingers through his golden mane. "God, I just love making you come undone like this," he says lowly, taking firm hold of my hips, pulling me flush against him to bring a low moan from me.

"Eric," I breathe out, soft pants escaping me as I feel his hardened erection pressing firmly against my own. A languid lick along my jawline leaves me whimpering softly before blunt teeth are sinking into the sensitive flesh of my throat to bring a low, pleasured moan from me. Eric chuckles lowly against me, knowing just how much he's able to affect me before he pulls away with a triumphant grin.

"Good?" he questions teasingly, earning an eye roll from me.

"Like you have to ask," I return sardonically, earning more laughter from him. "Why'd you stop?" I question, my voice sounding much more pathetic and whiney than intended as a mischievous glint shines in his stunning blue eyes.

"I was thinking," he starts, making my head tilt in question as I notice his sudden hesitance. "Um, well, what we've been doing together has been, well, great really," he stumbles out as my brow furrows in confusion.

"Eric, what are you trying to say?" I question, earning a sigh from him as he falls back to his heels.

"I was just wondering if maybe you'd want to, I dunno, try taking things to the next level?" he asks lowly, his gaze dropping to the floor as my jaw falls open in surprise. "We don't have to, God, I'm an idiot, just forget I said anything," he starts berating himself before I reach out to gently cup the side of his face, earning a tentative gaze from him.

"Yes," I answer simply, seeing his brows rise in surprise.

"Yes? Really? You're sure? I mean, I don't want to pressure you or anything," he blurts out, bringing a low chuckle from me.

"Trust me, you're not pressuring me, Eric," I assure him, noting his sigh of relief. "I was actually just waiting for you to tell me you were ready," I explain, earning low laughter from him.

"So we were both just waiting for the other one to say something," he remarks amusedly, shaking his head. "And here I thought you were just holding out on me," he teases, bringing matching laughter from me.

"Shut up," I answer, leaning forward to ensure his silence with my lips. He sighs softly into my mouth and what starts as a chaste kiss quickly becomes deeper, more impassioned, soon leaving us nearly breathless as my anticipation is quickly building for what is to come.

"Bed," he breathes against my lips, sending my heart racing as I eagerly nod my agreement. His larger frame is soon covering my own as I sink deeply into the soft mattress, my nervousness and anticipation building as our kisses become more fervent, more demanding and clothing is soon being stripped away to leave us lying bared to another.

I have to admit, I've been dreaming of this moment from our first shared kiss, daydreaming about what it might be like to be with Eric in this way and now that it's finally happening, I can't help feeling a bit anxious. Neither of us has been intimate in this way with another man before and I'm not naïve enough to believe this won't be at least somewhat painful. But then, this is Eric, we're talking about, the man I love. I know he'd never hurt me just as I'd never hurt him, and pain or no, it will be well worth it, of this I'm sure.

"What are you doing?" I question breathily as he pulls from our kiss, rising up to reach above the headboard. I'm then left chuckling lowly as he produces a small bottle of oil, his brows waggling suggestively. "Good to know you were planning ahead," I remark teasingly, earning a wide grin from him as he twists open the bottle.

"Yeah, well, I may not know much about this sort of thing, but this seemed pretty necessary," he explains, halting his motions before hitting me with a steady gaze, seeming to be searching my face for something.

"What is it?" I question, sitting up beside him, fearing he may not really be ready for this after all as he lets out a soft sigh.

"I'm scared," he whispers softly, his eyes suddenly focused attentively upon the small bottle in his hands as my brows shoot up in surprise. "I don't wanna hurt you," he expands, looking up to meet my gaze as a soft smile stretches over my face, realizing he holds the same fears as I. "Maybe you should top," he suggests tentatively.

"It's okay, Eric," I tell him, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "I trust you," I inform him, brushing back his golden locks with a fond smile.

"But I'm, well," he starts, motioning towards his very obvious arousal as I grasp the nature of his hesitancy.

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly small myself," I remark, bringing a snort of amusement from him as he's left nodding his agreement. "Either way, it's likely to be a bit painful, but like I said, I trust you. I know you'll take things slow, we both will," I tell him, finally earning a genuine smile from him as he nods his agreement.

"Yeah, alright," he concedes, kissing me softly once more before helping to settle me back upon the bed. "Just promise to tell me if it hurts, okay?" he beseeches softly as I nod my agreement, watching as his long fingers begin slowly dancing over my exposed chest.

"Eric, shit," I gasp out as his hand wraps around me, granting long, teasing strokes, his eyes darkening in desire as he studies my reactions. His body is soon propped over my own, blanketing me in his exquisite heat as he captures my lips with his own, kissing me gently albeit thoroughly as I feel his palms caressing, exploring my most intimate of areas.

A light gasp escapes me as he encroaches my entrance with a wetted digit and I grant him a small nod before he cautiously continues. My eyes twist shut as I try to become adjusted to the foreign feel, the stinging pain being gently ebbed away by the feather light kisses Eric presses over my face. Soon, another digit is added and Eric pulls away, studying me closely as he continues to prepare me for what is to come.

"Godric?" he questions cautiously, concern shining in his eyes as I nod to him, trying to ensure him of my wellbeing even as I'm left biting back a small whimper of pain.

"I'm okay," I pant out, pressing against his fingers, encouraging him to continue before a light gasp escapes me as a jolt of electricity suddenly juts through me. "Oh, God, right there," I tell him, feeling his fingers graze over the same spot once more to bring a pleasured moan from me.

"Right there?" he questions, his fingers massaging the area gently to leave me panting in need as I nod my appreciation. A triumphant grin stretches over his face as he proceeds with his erotic ministrations, sending my desires soaring as he wraps his long fingers around my arousal, adding teasing strokes to leave me trembling with need.

"God, Eric," I pant out, meeting his blazing gaze. "If you keep going like that, I'm not gonna last much longer," I inform him breathily, watching a devious grin stretch over his handsome face before he's adjusting our positions, lifting my hips above the mattress to leave him kneeling over me.

"You ready?" he questions softly, earning a keen nod from me as I glance down to watch him coating his arousal with the slick oil.

"Yeah," I whisper my answer against his wetted lips as I feel him aligning himself against me. A light hiss escapes me, my blunt fingernails digging into his broad shoulders as he gently presses ahead, stretching me impossibly wide. His eyes are focused on me as he carefully studies my reactions and I can only nod, reassuring him as he slowly, cautiously presses forward.

"Godric, fuck," he grits out, a light sheen forming over his brow as he finally sheathes himself fully inside, filling me to the absolute brink. "You alright?" he questions gently, brushing back my hair to earn a slight nod from me.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a sec," I beseech softly, taking a deep breath as I'm left trying my best to relax my tense muscles as he patiently waits for me. I breathe in deeply through my nose, a fond smile forming over my lips as Eric leans down to press more soft kisses over my face before I nod my readiness to him.

"Oh, fuck," he groans out, his hips thrusting shallowly against me as I grip onto him tightly, breathing deep as I try to rise above the pain. "So fucking tight," he grits out, continuing his slow, gentle rhythm against me before the head of him drags over that same, pleasurable spot from before to bring a throaty moan from me.

"Again," I plead softly, moaning low as he repeats his actions, bringing me pleasure the likes of which I've never experienced before. "God, yes," I breathe against his throat, tucking my head into the crook of his neck and wrapping my arms around him tightly as we proceed to work one another ever closer to the brink.

"Godric," he's left chanting my name softly as we continue our erotic dance, losing ourselves entirely to the pleasure of our joining. We're soon left panting, a light sheen of sweat covering the both of us as I feel my impending release slowly encroaching.

"I'm close," he whispers against my ear, earning a light nod from me before I feel his heated palm stroking me, driving my lusts higher yet before we're both left crying out, hitting our peaks as one. Eric lowers his head upon my shoulder, a sated shudder running through the both of us as we slowly begin floating back down from the pleasure's edge.

"God," I whisper as Eric settles himself beside me with a sated sigh. "That was surprisingly better than I thought it might be," I admit, earning low laughter from him before he leans closer to kiss me softly, using a nearby discarded t-shirt to gently clean up the mess left across my abdomen.

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment," he returns amusedly as I nod my agreement, a bright grin stretching over my face as he finishes his clean up job before carelessly tossing the material aside.

"As you should," I assure him before he's wrapping his long arms around me, drawing me into his heated embrace. We just lay like that for a time, just relishing the closeness of one another before I glance over to notice a small frown over his face. "You still okay with this?" I question somewhat fearfully, seeing his brows rise in surprise.

"What? Yeah, of course," he answers without hesitance, bringing a small sigh of relief from me before he continues. "Just thinking again," he starts with a sigh. "My parents will be back before long and as excited as I am about starting school with you and Sook, I'm still fucking terrified of having to talk to my father," he admits as I'm left nodding my understanding.

"My offer from before still stands, Eric," I tell him, catching his wary gaze. "I'll be here with you if you want. You shouldn't have to face this alone," I insist, seeing him nod slowly, a soft sigh escaping him.

"Yeah, maybe," he answers, pulling me tighter against him. "I don't wanna talk about him anymore, not now," he admits, trailing his fingers over the exposed flesh of my back. "Just let me enjoy this while I can," he whispers against my ear as I press closer, soaking in his delicious heat as I nod my agreement.

I know it won't be pleasant for him, finally standing up to his father, but I only hope he knows I'm serious about my offer to stand with him. I would never let him face something so unpleasant on his own and he'll never have to, not so long as Sook and I are around. As cliché as it may sound, we really do have one another's backs, one for all and all for one.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

EPOV

I slowly rise to consciousness, the heavy weight atop me bringing a fond smile to my face as I wrap my arms tightly around Godric. I glance down to his slumbering form, taking a moment to just admire the beauty of his restful features. I can hardly believe what the two of us shared together last night, never having thought of myself as a lover of other men, but I certainly don't regret our actions, having found our joining to be remarkably pleasurable, much more so than I would have previously thought.

He really is incredible, beautiful both inside and out and I honestly have no idea how the hell I managed to gain his affections, but am grateful none the less. A small smile comes to my face then, wondering how Sookie may react to finding out about the two of us. I can only imagine she'll react much the same way she did upon finding out we finally admitted to the mutual attractions we held for one another. This truly is a strange relationship the three of us share, but as it works for us, I can honestly say I wouldn't change any of it, not one fucking thing.

"Hmm, morning," Godric mumbles against my chest, snuggling closer against me as I drag my fingers through his dark mess of curls.

"Morning," I return, leaning down to place a soft kiss upon his forehead. "How are you feeling?" I question softly, fearing how he may be faring after the events of last night.

"A bit sore, to be honest," he answers, bringing a frown to my face. "It's a good sore though," he tells me, turning his head to grant me a warm smile. "I'm fine, Eric, really. It was definitely worth it," he assures me, propping himself up upon his elbows to press a soft kiss against my lips. "More than worth it," he breathes against my lips to bring a small smile to my face.

"Hmm," is all I answer back lowly, caressing my lips softly against his own, relishing in the sweetness of his kiss that is quickly deepening, becoming more impassioned.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" I hear an all too familiar voice demanding then, instantly halting my actions as my panic spikes. I slowly turn my head to find my father standing in the doorway, his face red with anger as I'm rendered utterly speechless, finding myself suddenly unable to move. Thankfully, Godric has enough sense about him to pull himself off me, quickly putting distance between the two of us as I note the harsh, angry breathes of my father as he stares daggers at the two of us.

"Dad," I start, my heart racing with fear. "I didn't expect you to be home so soon," is all I can think to say as his brows shoot up and angry lines crease over his face.

"I can see that," he spits out, hitting me with a hardened stare. "Now would be the time to explain yourself, Eric," he demands before turning his attention to Godric, a hateful sneer forming over his features. "And you," he starts, pointing an accusing finger at my best friend. "You can get the hell out of my house this instant," he commands, earning a fearful nod in return.

Godric turns his fearful gaze to me and my heart plummets to my stomach, hardly able to stand seeing him look so chastised, so utterly terrified. I then glance over to see the look of disgust my father is giving him and it's as if something inside me just snaps. This isn't right. I can't let him do this, not to Godric, not to the man I love. I stand then, giving Godric comforting smile before I join him, beginning to throw on jeans and a t-shirt along beside him.

"And just what the hell do you think you're doing?" my father demands of me, gaining my attention as I see his eyes ablaze with barely contained fury.

"I'm going," I inform him, picking up my acceptance letter, crudely folding up the paper before roughly stuffing it into my pocket.

"Like hell you are! You and I are going to have a serious talk, right fucking now!" he cries as veins begin pulsing at his reddened temples. "Are you even listening to me!?" he questions as I step closer to Godric, placing a comforting hand upon his shoulder, feeling a tremble of fear running through him. A sigh of defeat leaves me, hating that he's having to bear witness to any of this.

"Yeah, I heard you," I direct coolly at my father, mustering courage I never thought possible, shocking myself with just how fearlessly I'm able to face his seething wrath. "But if he's leaving, I'm going with him," I state firmly, steely determination settling within me as a look of utter shock falls over my father's face.

"No you most certainly are _not_!" he sputters out, stepping closer to the two of us. Instinctively, I place myself between him and Godric, hitting him with a steady gaze as he's literally huffing with indignant anger. "I am your _father_ and I damn well deserve your respect, _boy_ ," he grits out, reaching up to fist the collar of my shirt into his meaty fist.

"Let go," I state coolly. "Right now," I add, watching my father's eyes widen in what appears to be surprise and… _fear_? I certainly never expected that reaction from him, though, if it really did come down to a knock out, drag out fight between us, I'd have to think he'd likely come out the loser.

"Fine," he spits out, abruptly releasing his grip before his finger is pointed in my face. "But I'm telling you right now, if you leave this house, if you choose you're little _friend_ here over your own family, you're done. You hear me? No money, no support of any kind and you'd better not even _think_ about coming back," he informs me, mild triumph coming over his features as he apparently thinks this is enough to keep me here to suffer his abuse even a moment longer.

"Fine," I state, reaching down to take Godric's hand into my own, starting for the door with him.

"You think I'm fucking _kidding_!?" my father cries from behind us as I turn my head back to see him seething, finally realizing I won't be baited by him, not any longer. "You'd better think about everything you're giving up, about the future you're so willingly throwing away," he threatens. But what he doesn't realize is that I've seen this all coming for weeks now and won't be swayed, not by him, not by anything.

"Trust me, I know exactly what I'm walking away from," I answer, seeing his jaw drop open in shock. "But I also know exactly what I'm gaining," I add, turning to Godric with an affectionate smile, feeling him squeezing my hand reassuringly as he returns the gesture.

"You," my father grits out then, turning his attention to Godric. "This is all _your_ fucking fault," he accuses, stepping closer once more, leaving me placing myself between them once more. "You've _corrupted_ my son, making him turn against me," he cries out angrily as Godric steps closer to me, clearly stricken with fear.

"This is my choice and mine alone," I assure my father as he continues to stare daggers at Godric. "And believe me when I say, it's been a long time coming," I inform him coolly, earning a scowl in return.

"I never should have sent you to that godforsaken public school," my father continues, ignoring my previous statement as he continues to glare at Godric over my shoulder. "I wrongfully thought you would gain character, not be swayed by some…some," he sputters as my rage is suddenly building within me.

"Some _what_?" I snap, seeing his dark eyes harden in hatred.

"Some fucking _fagot_ ," he spits out hatefully as my fists clench in rage. "That's right, I said it, you've been corrupted by a spineless, good for nothing-," he cruelly continues before his words are abruptly brought to an end by my fist. "Fuck!" he cries out, stepping back before cradling his bleeding nose into his hands.

"You fucking bastard," I spit out at him, my chest heaving in anger before I turn my attention back to Godric, seeing him staring between us in shock, wet streaks trailing down his cheeks. "Come on," I say softly, stepping closer to cup his face gently. "Let's get you out of here," I offer, brushing back his hair gently before leading him towards the front of the house.

I can hear my father's continued cursing and threats being hatefully spit out behind us and am only that much more determined to put just as much distance between us and this place as fucking possible. I come to an abrupt halt then, seeing the tearful face of my mother as she stands in the entryway, clearly having heard the entire, previous argument.

She opens her mouth as if to speak before turning a wary gaze towards my bedroom and abruptly shuts her mouth, stepping back to allow Godric and I towards the door. I shake my head at her, hating that she allows that hateful man to make her cower. I grant her a pitying gaze before pulling Godric through a door I'll never willingly step foot through ever again.

We make our way to Godric's mother's car and I let out a sigh of relief, seeing him pull the keys from his pocket. I _so_ am not willing to step back inside that house, not now, not ever. We wordlessly enter the car, sharing a tentative smile before Godric fires up the engine, proceeding to pull away from the house. I spare one last glance at my luxurious, childhood home, my mind suddenly assaulted with bittersweet memories and it's not until Godric reaches over to brush his hand over my cheek that I realize I've been silently weeping.

"You alright?" he questions softly, earning firm headshake from me.

"No, not in the fucking least," I answer honestly, noting the small frown that comes to his face as he nods his understanding. "I will be, though," I assure him, reaching over to take his hand into my own. "It'll just take some time."

He nods his understanding, lifting our combined hands before brushing his lips softly over my knuckles to bring a slight smile from me. I let out a sigh, falling back against the seat as my mind plays over the unfortunate events of the morning.

Fuck, I knew it would be bad, finally standing up to my father, but never did I think things would escalate the way they did. God, I actually fucking _punched_ him, right in the fucking _face_. I can hardly believe it. Just how the hell was I able to muster that kind of courage? Godric squeezes my hand once more and I grant him a fond smile, realizing he's the reason I was finally able to stand up for myself, to finally put my father in his place.

Seeing just how fearful Godric was back there was reason enough for me to step up, to try and protect him from my father's wrath. And when my father actually had the gall to say those hateful things, to demean the man I love? It was like I was instinctively called to protect him, to defend him, apparently with my fist, which yeah, maybe wasn't exactly the smartest idea, but it certainly succeeded in getting my point across.

A small smile comes to my face then, seeing Sookie's old farmhouse drawing nearer and I look over to Godric, seeing his own, tentative smile sent back my way.

"This alright?" he questions softly, pulling before the old farmhouse as I keenly nod my acceptance, wanting nothing more than to be wrapped in the comforting arms of the two people I hold so dear.

"Perfect, just perfect," I answer, earning a genuine smile from him as he parks the car. He leans over then, kissing me softly and I'm once more in awe of him, hardly believing I've somehow managed to win his heart.

We trail to the front door together and Sookie must have noticed our approach as she pulls open the door before we even have the chance to knock. Her brows rise in surprise, taking in both our tear stained faces before she looks down to my hand with a gasp. I follow her gaze, noting for the first time the damage my fist rendered in the previous fight. Shit, I guess I hit my dad even harder than I thought.

"Oh, Eric," she says softly, her eyes welling with tears before she pulls me into her arms. "I'm sorry. God, I'm so, so sorry," she whispers against my chest, her subsequent tears soaking into my shirt. I wrap my arms around her tightly, the two of us finding solace in one another's embrace before I place a tender kiss upon the crown of her head.

"I'm okay," I tell her, sighing loudly. "Alright, I'm far from okay, but I at least feel somewhat better now," I amend as Godric joins us, wrapping his arms firmly around my waist as his head falls against my shoulder. I let out a shuddering sigh, having to fight back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I pull the two of them closer.

Today was a total fucking shitstorm and I'm sure things are only apt to get worse before they ever have a chance of getting better, but standing here now, wrapped in the love of these two, amazing people, my very best friends and the people I love more than words can say, I somehow know I'll make it through this, that things will somehow be okay.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

SPOV

"Come on," I say softly, looking up to Eric's tear stained face. "Let's get you some ice to put on that hand of yours," I suggest, lifting his injured hand with a small sigh, wondering if I even want to know the story behind the injury.

Eric and Godric follow silently behind me, sitting side by side at the dining room table as I make my way to the freezer box. I finally decide on a bag of frozen peas, proceeding to wrap the chilly bag with a hand towel before starting back towards the table.

"Oh, man, that looks like it hurts like hell," Jason remarks then, surprising the three of us as he steps into the kitchen, his eyes focused upon Eric's injured hand.

"Yeah, it kind of does," Eric answers softly, accepting the wrapped bag of frozen veggies from me with a grateful smile.

"You get in a fight or somethin'?" my brother questions curiously, making Godric and I visibly tense as a deep frown comes to Eric's face.

"Uh, yeah, though one punch doesn't really make for much of a fight," Eric answers back, trying his best to make light of the situation as he manages a forced smile to his face.

"Guess not," Jason answers offhandedly, heading into the kitchen to grab his lunchbox from the fridge. "So who was it, one of the guys from the team?" Jason asks as I let out a loud sigh, silently wishing my nosey brother would just shut up for once.

"No," Eric answers softly, earning sympathetic gazes from both Godric and myself. Jason turns back to the three of us; his brow creasing in puzzlement as he finally seems to notice the somber mood between us. "It was my dad," Eric reveals softly, leaving the three of us looking to him in shock.

"Oh," Jason answers softly, a small frown coming over his face. "Damn, man, I'm sorry," he says then, reaching back to scratch his neck awkwardly. "So, you need a place to stay for a while?" he questions, making Eric turn to him in surprise.

"What?" he questions, earning a dismissive shrug from my brother.

"I know you're over here quite a bit anyways, bein' so close to Sook and all, but if you need a place to crash for a while, I'm cool with it," he says, earning a genuine smile not only from Eric, but myself as well.

"Thanks," Eric tells him, earning a small nod in return before my brother steps closer to awkwardly pat Eric's broad shoulder. He's then making his way towards the door and I stand from the table, rushing over to wrap my arms around my big brother before he can exit the house.

"Thanks, Jase," I tell him, earning a lopsided grin from him as he reaches up to playfully ruffle my hair.

"He's a good kid," he remarks with a shrug. "It's the least I can do, besides, with you decidin' to go to community college for your first semester, we've got a bit of wiggle room in our finances. I think I can manage to feed one of your friends for a while," he reasons, bringing a bright grin to my face.

"Well, I appreciate it, really," I tell him, leaning closer to press a chaste kiss to his scruffy cheek, silently promising to pay him back someday, somehow, for all he's done for me. "See you later?"

"Yeah, be back in the mornin'," he informs me. "Love ya, sis."

"Love you too," I answer back, sending him a small wave as he exits the house. I shake my head then, a fond smile over my face as I find myself grateful to have such an understanding brother. I turn back to the dining room then, seeing the guys talking quietly with one another before I return to sit across from them.

"You didn't," Eric is saying, his eyes widened in surprise to bring a light chuckle from Godric.

"You're the one who told me your father was likely to kick you out," Godric answers with a shrug. "And I didn't expect you to actually plan ahead," he says, making my brow crease in puzzlement.

"What?" I question, earning their dual attention, Godric smirking as Eric shakes his head lightly.

"This guy," Eric starts, an amused smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he points a thumb towards Godric. "Apparently he's been preparing for the events of this morning for a few weeks now."

"It's not much, really," Godric chimes in, sending Eric a smirk before turning back to me. "I just packed up a few of his things, just the essentials really, clothes and the like so the poor dumbass wouldn't be left with only the clothes on his back," he reveals, earning an eye roll from Eric as I'm left smirking at the two of them.

"I'm not _that_ big of a dumbass," Eric argues then, a look of amusement falling over his face. "At least I thought ahead enough to close out my bank account before my parents could cancel my card," he reveals, making Godric and I both look to him in shock. "Oh please, you really think I'm just a pretty face?" he teases, eliciting light laughter from the three of us.

"Of course not," I answer back, scooting closer to wrap my arm around his waist. "That handsome face of yours is just icing on the cake, really," I tease, bringing a snort of amusement from him before he pulls me closer, tucking me against his side, mirroring his actions with his opposite arm to tuck Godric into his embrace as well.

"God, I really am lucky to have you two, ya know it?" Eric says then, looking back and forth between us with a soft smile.

"I'm just happy to see you smiling again," Godric remarks, reaching up to gently caress his cheek, the two of them sharing a look I find I can't quite decipher.

"So, I'm guessing it was even worse than you thought, finally having to talk to your dad?" I finally question softly, seeing Eric's jaw tick in irritation before he's sighing softly.

"It was fucking horrible," he admits lowly, earning matching frowns from Godric and I.

"So he really kicked you out," I muse aloud, shaking my head in disbelief. "I wanted so badly to believe you were wrong about that," I admit, earning a low scoff in return. "Man, to think he'd kick out his own son, just for telling him he didn't agree with the life plan he had set out for him," I remark softly, hardly able to believe such a thing. I glance over to see Godric and Eric sharing a look with one another and am left tilting my head in question before earning a small sigh from Godric.

"He didn't get the chance to tell him he was staying home to go to LCC with us," Godric informs me, making my brows shoot up in shock.

"But, I-," I start, meeting Eric's pained gaze.

"He walked in on the two of us," Eric reveals, making my eyes widen in realization.

"Oh, shit," I whisper, realizing just how awful, how utterly mortifying that must have been for the two of them.

"He walked in to see us nearly naked, kissing in Eric's bed," Godric sighs out as Eric reaches over to place his much larger hand over his own. "It was just awful, Sook," he tells me, a visible tremor running through him. "He was just so… _angry_ and I was so fucking scared, I couldn't even manage to speak, to try and explain myself," he admits, sliding his gaze over to Eric who grants him an indulgent smile.

"It's okay," Eric says softly, earning a firm headshake from Godric.

"No, I should have done something," Godric argues, his emerald orbs welling with tears. "I just stood there, too fucking scared to do anything, to even _say_ anything. I couldn't protect you. God, Eric, I'm so sorry," he chokes out as tears begin streaming down his face.

I move closer and Eric and I both pull Godric into our embrace, trying our best to sooth him as he proceeds to weep softly. My heart silently breaks for my friend, hating that he carries this heavy guilt and want for nothing more than to ease his pain. Eric lets out a loud sigh then, shaking his head before reaching down to cup Godric's face into his hand.

"You did nothing wrong, you hear me?" he insists firmly, making Godric's eyes widen subtly in surprise. "What happened was not your fault, in any way. And whether you realize it or not, just having you there with me gave me the strength I needed to finally stand up to my father. I hate that you had to see any of that, that you had to hear him spout of that fucking hate speech, but just know I couldn't have done what I did if it weren't for you," he explains, leaving the two of us both looking to him in mild awe.

"So, you're not mad at me? You don't blame me for the way he found out about us?" Godric asks softly, earning a firm headshake in return.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I could never, _never_ be mad at you. You did absolutely nothing wrong," he insists gently, brushing his hand through darkened locks before we're sharing a soft smile. "My father, on the other hand," he spits out lowly. "I only wish I'd managed to land a few more punches on that asshole for the shit he said," he grits out, earning a light nod from Godric.

"Thanks, Eric," Godric says then, his words barely above a whisper as he meets his friend's softened gaze. "For standing up for me, for protecting me the way you did," he adds, earning a warm smile before Eric is pulling him into his arms to hug him tightly.

"I'll always protect you," Eric assures him softly, the sincerity in his words managing to bring tears to my own eyes. "And that goes for you too, missy," he adds, lifting his face to meet my watery gaze. He gestures for me to come nearer and I grant him a small nod, stepping closer before he pulls me down to his lap, placing a soft kiss to my temple.

The three of us just sit like that for a time, content just to be holding one another, finding a familiar solace in one another's embrace and I can't help the small smile that comes to my face, thinking over what the future may hold for us.

"That was pretty great of your brother," Eric comments after a time, finally breaking the comfortable silence between us. "Offering to let me stay here like that," he expands, earning a light shrug from me.

"Yeah, he can be pretty cool, you know, when he wants to be," I remark lightly, earning amused grins from the two of them.

"I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind you staying over at our place either," Godric tells him, earning a light nod from him.

"I appreciate it, really," Eric tells us, sighing softly. "I hate having to put anyone out like this, but until I can manage to secure a place of my own, I don't think I'll have much choice in the matter," he admits somewhat dejectedly, earning indulgent smiles from Godric and myself.

"Then I guess Goddy and I will just have to fight over you in the meantime," I tease then, earning low chuckles from the two of them. "And don't think I'm above playing dirty," I add teasingly, reaching up to lightly pinch the tip of Godric's nose, seeing his eyes alight with humor.

"Hm, I think I like the sound of this, you two both fighting over me," Eric chimes in, waggling his brows suggestively to elicit genuine laughter from the three of us. I feel the previous tension easing from me and am immensely grateful as the familiar, playful mood settles between us once more.

"You would," Godric teases, shaking his head at our friend who's trying, albeit failing miserably, to feign innocence.

"I'm just saying, I'm not above accepting bribery in any shape or form, preferably sans clothing," Eric adds lowly, leaving Godric and I sharing a knowing smirk. Seems our Viking is back to his old self once more and I don't think I could be more grateful for this.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

EPOV

"Tomorrow," Sookie says, dangling the set of keys in the air, a huge grin spread over her face. "I can hardly wait to move in," she adds excitedly, shooting the two of us a beaming smile from her lounged out position over Godric's pillow covered, bedroom floor.

"Yeah, well, it's not much," I remind her, earning a dismissive shrug in turn. "But I guess it'll be kind of fun, sharing a place with you both," I admit, seeing dark and golden heads bob in unison, both my friends lying to either side of me.

"It was really cool of your brother to put in a good word with Catfish for Eric and I," Godric chimes in, earning a nod of agreement from me. "Not that I'm exactly thrilled to be part of the road crew, but at least with a bit of income coming in we'll be granted some form of independence, not to mention a bit of privacy," he adds, earning a snort of amusement from me.

"No shit," I add, bumping shoulders with him. "I thought you were gonna shit yourself when Jason waltzed by the bedroom door at Sook's place the other day," I tease, earning a light, pink blush from our dark haired counterpart.

"I was naked!" he reminds me heatedly. "And so were both of you!" he adds, bringing low laughter from both Sookie and myself.

"I never thought I'd be so thankful to have such an oblivious big brother," Sookie chokes out through her laughter. "The look on your face was utterly priceless though, Goddy," she teases, earning a nod of agreement from me as Godric rolls his eyes at the two of us.

"Whatever," he returns with a sigh. "Like I said, it'll just be nice not having to worry about something like that happening again," he reiterates lowly as my phone begins buzzing in my pocket. I roll to my side, fishing out the buzzing device before looking to the screen with a grimace. Fuck.

"Your dad again?" Sookie questions softly, leaving me nodding to her as I dismiss the call.

"If he thinks I'm gonna sit here and listen to him bitch at me again, he really _has_ lost his fucking mind," I grit out irritably, having been foolish enough to answer only one of his calls before receiving too many irate fucking voicemails to count.

"He can't stay mad at you forever, Eric," Godric sounds softly at my ear as his arm wraps firmly around my waist to pull me closer.

"Yeah, maybe," is all I can think to answer before Sookie is pressed against my opposite side, a sympathetic smile turned up to me before she leans up to place a soft kiss upon my lips.

"I'm proud of you, you know," she says softly, granting me a warm smile. "Not everyone could do what you did, standing up to him like that and to follow through the way you have," she adds, shaking her head. "We're gonna make it through this, Eric. Together," she reassures me, bringing a grateful smile from me.

"Yeah, I know," I agree wholeheartedly, still amazed at how supportive not only Sookie and Godric have been, but Jason and Mrs. Hyde as well, having accepted me into their homes, helping to support me as I've gone through what has very well been the most difficult time in my life.

"You amaze me, you know that?" Godric sounds at my opposite side, earning a questioning brow from me. "You've handled this whole thing so much better than I even thought possible," he explains, reaching up to gently brush his fingers through my hair. "Better than most, or better than I would, at least," he admits, earning a chaste kiss from me.

"It's only because of you," I return, pulling away to look between them both. "Both of you, that I'm still even fucking standing. There's no way I could do this on my own," I admit, eliciting dual, soft smiles from my very best friends, my two loves. "I really don't know how I'll ever be able to make it up to you both," I add softly, wishing there was some way to show them just how appreciative I truly am.

"Oh, well, I can think of a few ways," Sookie purrs, bringing a smirk from me as she glances over to lock eyes with our third.

"I like the way you think, Sook," he chimes in, bringing low laughter from me as the two of them press closer, effectively sandwiching me tightly between them.

"And you two say _I'm_ the one with the one-track mind," I tease, earning matching laughter from the two of them as hands begin roaming, caressing every inch of exposed skin between us to send my heart racing in desire. "And just what is it you two have in mind?" I question breathily, helping them to clumsily strip away my clothes, our eagerness quickly overtaking us.

Matching smirks are all I receive in response before the two of them are working to strip off their own clothing, receiving eager help from me before we're left lying wholly bared to one another.

"Eric," Sookie warmly breathes against my lips before she's closing the miniscule distance between us, kissing me with an eager passion that easily matches my own. My fingers twine into her golden locks of silk, pulling her closer to deepen our kiss as I feel Godric's hot, wet kisses trailing over my neck and shoulders as he molds his heated form against me.

I'm left moaning lowly into Sookie's kiss, relishing the feel of being cocooned between the two of them, concluding that this is by far my very favorite place on earth. Heated caresses and scorching kisses are trailing over flushed skin, soon leaving the three of us panting with need. I smile fondly, watching Godric lean over me to capture Sookie's lips with his own, proceeding to kiss her deeply until they're both left pulling away gasping.

"God, you two are fucking incredible," I muse aloud, earning matching smirks from the two of them. I raise a questioning brow then, seeing Godric pull Sookie closer before whispering something against her ear and my heart is positively racing once I receive dual, hungry gazes once they've finally come to some conclusion together.

"You ready for us, Viking?" Godric asks lowly, his emerald eyes blazing as I'm left only able to nod my response, my anticipation welling within me. He leans down to press a soft kiss against my lips and I'm left whimpering pathetically as he abruptly pulls away, a devious glint shining in his emerald eyes as he reaches towards the bedside table.

"Ah," I answer, seeing him pulling an all too familiar bottle from the small drawer, already looking forward to whatever it is they have planned. He once more moves to his place behind me, his chest pressed firmly against my back as Sookie positions herself before me, once more leaving me tucked securely between them both.

"This okay?" Godric breathes against my ear, his tentative gaze catching my yearning one as I'm left nodding keenly in response. "Just remember to tell me if it hurts," he adds lowly, clear concern shining in his bright green eyes.

"I trust you," I earnestly tell him, drawing him closer to press a tender kiss to his lips. He pulls away with a genuine smile that manages to make my pulse race just before a low moan is drawn from me, feeling Sookie's dainty hand wrapping firmly around my quickly lengthening arousal.

"Fuck, Sook," I groan lowly, turning back to my second lover as she grants me a few long, teasing strokes, her sapphire eyes darkened in desire as she studies my reactions closely.

"Mmm, you like that?" she leans up to purr against my ear, bringing light pants from me as she continues her erotic ministrations upon me.

"God yes," I answer, locking heated gazes with her as my own hand trails to the apex of her thighs, intent on granting her the same attention. "So wet, so eager," I breathe against her panting mouth, my fingers exploring her wetted sex to bring an appreciative moan from her. "Oh, fuck," I'm left groaning then, my head falling to Sookie's shoulder as I feel Godric's oil coated digit slowly breeching my entrance.

My eyes screw shut and I'm left taking deep breaths, working to relax my tense muscles as the stinging pain juts through me. Fuck. The two of us have done this a few times together, having experimented with different positions and the like, but I'm never quite ready for the pain that always precedes the impending pleasure. Sookie places a soft kiss to my lips and I peel open my eyes to see her granting me a soft smile.

"I'm good, I'm good," I insist, biting back the pain as Godric proceeds to ready me for what is to come. A throaty moan escapes me once Godric finally finds that one sweet spot deep inside me and I'm left practically purring into the crook of Sookie's neck as she is once more granting me sure strokes, managing to match Godric's own slow, teasing rhythm to send my lusts positively soaring between them.

Sookie releases me from her grasp then, turning to press her back against my chest. She looks back to me over her shoulder and I lock her yearning gaze with my own as I raise my leg to hook my thigh up over her hip. She gives me a light nod, assuring me to her readiness before I align myself against her, hissing low at the feel of her scorching heat as I press slowly forward, working inch after hardened inch inside her until our bodies are married snuggly together.

"You good?" I question softly, earning a keen, golden nod in return before I'm turning my attention back to my second lover. Blazing emerald orbs meet heated cobalt as he reaches down between us to slicken his length with the silken oils.

"Ready?" he leans up to breathe against my ear, earning an eager nod in response before he's pressing ahead, probing my entrance with the smooth head of his arousal. My nails dig into his firm forearms and a slight hiss escapes me as he proceeds to stretch me impossibly wide, gently working himself deeper before finally sheathing inside me completely.

He presses a soft kiss to my temple, stilling his movements to give me some time to adjust to the still rather foreign feel. After a moment's pause, I'm nodding my readiness whist rocking my hips experimentally between both my lovers. Low moans sound from the three of us and my arms wrap tightly around Sookie's waist, pulling her closer as Godric grants me the same, to leave the three of us wholly wrapped up in one another, our racing hearts beating wildly against each other. Fucking perfect.

Sookie reaches back to draw me closer, capturing my lips with her own, sweet ones as our hips are rocking gently against one another, proceeding with our gentle lovemaking. Godric's lips and teeth are granting light kisses and teasing bites along my throat and I'm soon left moaning between the two of them as he begins hitting that spot deep within me to push me ever closer to the proverbial edge.

"Eric, God," Godric groans lowly against my ear, his arms wrapped tightly around me, encasing me in his tender love as my kiss with Sookie deepens, becoming all-consuming, our tongues twining smoothly against one another. I lose myself completely in the both of them, throwing any stray thoughts, any lingering worries carelessly to the wind. _This_. This is all I need. This is my _everything_. _They_ are my everything, these two people to complete me, the only ones who make me feel whole.

Much too soon, I feel my impending release encroaching and our thrusts against one another are becoming deeper, harder, more fervent as we work to bring one another ever closer to our shared release. Shared cries soon mingle together to echoing around us as stars explode behind my eyes, my release crashing over me to leave me a shuddering mass of limbs as I feel my loves' subsequent fall over the razor's edge.

The three of us just lie there for a time, a tangled, heaving mass of limbs over the soft carpet and strewn pillows over Godric's bedroom floor and I just can't seem to be able to wipe the contented smile from my face.

"Wow," Sookie whispers after a time, breaking the contented silence as she rolls over to press her face against my heaving chest. "I swear that gets better each and every time," she assesses, bringing low chuckles of agreement from the two of us as we're left working to clean ourselves up a bit.

"Yeah, I think you might be right about that, Sook," I concede, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Agreed," Godric chimes in breathlessly from his sprawled out position beside me. "I think I'm gonna grab a glass of water, you two want anything?" he questions, sitting up beside us, reaching over to grab his discarded shorts as a wide grin stretches over my face.

"Dude, does your mom have any more of those cookies?" I question excitedly, earning a snort of amusement from him as he nods in the affirmative. "Score," I whisper, sitting up beside him before reaching out for my own shorts.

"Yeah, I definitely could eat another cookie," Sookie agrees, sitting up to join us before snagging my t-shirt from me. I send her a playful scowl only to earn a stuck out tongue in response as she pulls my much too large shirt over nude form.

"Girls," I sigh out, rolling my eyes at her, earning a knowing smirk from Godric as the little clothing thief just shrugs her shoulders at us. We proceed to the kitchen together and are left giggling against one another in amusement as we stumble clumsily through the darkness of the house.

"Shh…my mom's trying to sleep!" Godric chastises as we finally step into the kitchen together.

"Yeah, I'm blind, not deaf," sounds a familiar voice, freezing the three of us in our tracks as we come face to face with Godric's mom. She stands before us in her flowing housecoat, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth as she nurses a steaming mug, held securely in her pale hands.

"Um, sorry, Mom," Godric answers somewhat awkwardly. "We didn't wake you, did we?" he questions a bit anxiously, earning a light shrug from his mother.

"Oh, you mean with that noisy bout of lovemaking?" she questions, her face falling utterly solemn. The three of us are left exchanging anxious looks as my heart begins racing in fear. A loud snort nearly has me jumping out of my skin as Godric's mother proceeds to fall into uproarious laughter, leaving the three of us staring back at her in shock.

"Mom?" Godric questions in puzzlement as she's brushing away her mirthful tears.

"Sorry, I had to," she chuckles out, leaving the three of us letting out mirrored sighs of relief. "But you might want to be mindful of your new neighbors, little one," she directs at Godric, bringing a light blush to his cheeks. "Heaven forbid they call in a noise complaint," she teases, bringing low laughter from Sookie and I as Godric's face flushes a brilliant, crimson red.

"Mom!" he hisses as she steps closer, reaching out to pull her son into a tight embrace that he reluctantly returns.

"Sorry about waking you up, Mrs. Hyde," Sookie apologizes, earning a dismissive wave from the amused psychic.

"No worries, dear," she returns, turning her unseeing gaze over the three of us, a soft smile falling over her lips. "Beautiful," she whispers, shaking her head to send dark, curly locks flowing over her shoulders.

"Mrs. Hyde?" I question, earning a soft sigh from her as she steps a bit closer.

"Your auras," she says softly, trailing her hand over the air before us, a far off look over her face. "It's as if you're one, single entity; your three souls being tied closer than any I've ever seen before," she explains in a reverent whisper before turning her unseeing gaze to her son. "I'm so very glad you took my words to heart, little one," she says, earning a soft smile in return.

She steps closer, pulling Sookie and I into a combined hug then and I'm left shaking my head, having to remind myself that's she's truly blind before she's floating away through the darkened house with an unparalleled grace.

"What did she mean, Goddy? What words did you take to heart?" Sookie questions, earning a bright grin in return.

"She told me to follow my heart," he answers softly, shaking his dark head. "She said it would lead me to my ultimate happiness," he reveals, looking between the two of us with a softened gaze.

"And?" I question, earning a snort of amusement from him.

"What do you think?" he throws back with a smirk, pulling us into his arms, a contented sigh escaping him as I'm left grinning like a loon, silently thanking his mother's insightful nature for what the three of us have managed to find in one another.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 _Six months later…_

SPOV

"Damn," I sigh out, falling to the wooden bench at the back of the rowdy bar, my feet aching as the end of my shift draws near.

"Yeah, it's been a busy one," Sam chimes in, dropping down beside me with a loud sigh. "At least your shift's about up."

"True enough," I answer, granting him a small smile. "It was really great of your parents to give me this job. Who knew living on your own could be so expensive?" I question, earning a low chuckle in return.

"It can't be all that bad, at least you have decent roommates," he replies, a knowing smile stretching over his face as I'm left nodding my agreement.

"They really are great," I concede, a soft sigh escaping me as thoughts of my two loves are suddenly overtaking my thoughts. God, I really have it bad, but could honestly care less.

"So things are still going alright between the three of you?" he questions, leaving my cheeks warming as I nod in the affirmative, pleasurable moments shared between the three of us suddenly playing rather vividly through my mind.

"Yeah, they're great, really great," I answer back, earning a genuine smile from my friend as he nods his approval.

"And your brother? How'd he take the news?" he questions somewhat hesitantly, leaving me sighing in return.

"Well, after the initial shock," I start, shaking my head as I recall the flabbergasted reaction my brother had to finding out I was dating not only one, but both of my best friends. "He seems to be coming around to the idea," I admit. "I mean, he's known the guys for years and I think he realizes just how well they both treat me. Plus, he knows neither of them would ever hurt me," I explain, earning an understanding nod from my friend.

"Ugh, this is all so confusing," sounds beside us then as I glace up to see Quinn studying his order pad studiously, a look of deep concentration set upon his face.

"Nah, it's easy, Quinn," I answer as he drops down beside me with a small frown. I take a moment to remind him of the shorthand terms and he's finally left nodding, granting me an appreciative smile.

"Thanks, Sookie," he answers, shaking his gleaming, bald head. "Man, I don't know what I'd do without you," he admits, earning low chuckles from Sam and myself. The poor guy really has had a hard time of it, causing more spills and accidents around here than I'd ever thought possible during his first week.

"So, how are things going with you three?" he questions, earning a snort of amusement from Sam as I shake my head at the two of them.

"Like I was just telling Sam, things are going really well. We made it through our first semester just fine and are looking at colleges for next fall already," I inform him, seeing a mischievous grin stretch over his handsome face.

"You know, my offer still stands," he remarks then, leaving me rolling my eyes as Sam fails miserably at hiding his laughter. "What? I'm just saying, if group sex is your thing, I'd be more than happy to join in, you know, add a little variety maybe," he suggests lowly, leaving me sighing loudly, shaking my head at him.

"As sweet an offer as that is, Quinn, I'm still not interested," I sigh out, wondering just how long it might take him to get the hint. God, word gets around that you're sleeping with two guys and everyone apparently just assumes you're open for anything.

"Just saying," he remarks, standing to his feet with a grin. "I really think it could be fun," he remarks, still unwilling to give up the hope that I might finally agree to his offer. He grants a snickering Sam a questioning look before aimlessly ambling away, likely to harass one of the other waitresses.

"He really can be dense," I remark, earning a bob of agreement from Sam.

"Yeah…," he answers, looking out after him, a dreamy expression upon his face. "But damn if he isn't fucking gorgeous," he sighs, earning bubbling laughter from me. "What?" he questions, lifting a brow in my direction. "You disagree?"

"No, no, he really is quite handsome," I admit, having once been rather smitten with the bulking mound of muscle myself not so very long ago. "But somehow I think you're barking up the wrong tree there, Sam," I tease, earning a smug grin in return.

"You wanna lay money down on that?" he questions as my mouth falls open in shock.

"Sam, Quinn is _not_ gay," I insist, shaking my head at my friend's devious grin. "He literally hits on anything with tits," I add, earning a dismissive shrug in return.

"We'll see," he answers thoughtfully, glancing back to the front of the restaurant at the sound of the door's bell. "Looks like your ride's here," he informs me, bringing a wide grin to my face before I'm excitedly jumping to my feet. He shoots me a knowing smile before I'm practically skipping across the bar, elated to see my two loves.

"Hey, beautiful," Godric greets, pulling me into his arms to bring a soft sigh from me. "How was your day?" he asks at my ear, earning a shrug in return.

"It's much better now," I answer, leaning up to kiss him softly, earning a warm smile that manages to send my heart racing. Eric clears his throat loudly then, bringing a snort of amusement from me before I'm taking my second love into my arms.

"Eric!" I cry out in surprise as he lifts me into the air, leaving me wrapping my legs around his waist lest I take a rather nasty fall. "You're gonna get me fired," I tease, earning a mischievous smirk in return.

"Then let's make it worth it," he answers back lowly before pressing his lips against my own, proceeding to kiss me with his familiar eagerness. I'm finally left having to pull away, looking around to see we've drawn a bit of attention to ourselves as a warm flush comes over my cheeks.

"Alright, Loverboy, put me down," I hiss out in embarrassment, shaking my head at him. "We can continue this at home, I promise," I add softly, noticing his pleading, puppy eyes. He must approve of my suggestion as he finally lowers me, setting me back to my feet once more.

"I'm holding you to that, Sook," he informs me lowly, eliciting a shiver of anticipation through me, before the three of us are sharing a knowing smile between one another.

"Sookeh," an all too familiar voice sounds behind me then, leaving me inwardly groaning as I slowly turn to meet the smug face of my ex.

"Bill," I answer tartly, crossing my arms over my chest in annoyance. "What do _you_ want?" I question, not even bothering to hide my exasperation at his unwanted appearance.

"Well, I had heard rumors," he starts, his dark gaze trailing condescendingly over the three of us. "But I just had to see this for myself," he remarks, a patronizing sneer curling his lips.

"And just what, pray tell, had you heard, _Compton_?" Godric asks, his threat clear in his words that fail to cower the man before us.

"Not much really," he answers smugly, a hateful glint shining from the depths of his dark eyes. "Just that my ex was apparently spreading her legs for literally any man in town," he taunts, leaving my jaw ticking in fury as I see Eric and Godric step forward, mirroring, angry lines creased over their faces. Shit. As angry as I am with Bill right now, I can't let this continue, not here, not now.

"Guys," I say warningly, glancing around the bar to see we've warranted quite a bit of attention from the patrons. They reluctantly turn their incensed gazes from Bill, earning a firm headshake from me.

"As much as he deserves to have his ass kicked into next year, he's not worth it," I inform them, earning a scowl from my ex before my loves are left begrudgingly backing down from what would surely prove to be a rather brutal, albeit short lived fight between them.

"That's right, listen to your little _whore_ ," Bill remarks, earning wrathful gazes from the three of us. Eric and Godric are stepping forward once more and I quickly intervene, stepping before them as I shake my head in earnest.

"I really should step away right now," I hiss at Bill, seeing him cast a rather wary gaze up over my shoulders where I know he's receiving hateful glares from the two men I love. "I should unleash the two of them on you, to finally let you get what you deserve," I inform him, earning a scoff of derision in return.

"You wouldn't," he answers back assuredly, finally lowering his gaze from the furious men behind me to meet my steady gaze with his own. "It's time to stop this charade, Sookeh," he sighs out, making my brow pinch in puzzlement. "We all know you're only doing this as a means of warranting my attention once more, of finally winning me back," he reasons, to leave my jaw dropping in utter shock.

"That's what you think this is all about? Really?" I question, seeing his eye twitch subtly as a malicious smile stretches over my face. "You're pathetic, Bill, thinking I'd actually want you back after the way you treated me," I grit out, shaking my head at him.

"What? You mean Lorena?" he questions, earning an eye roll from me as he's left straightening his spine, a smug grin crossing his slimy face. "I'll have you know we're no longer together," he informs me, apparently under the impression that I actually give two shits. "Now, I'm willing to take you back, but this foolishness ends now. You'll of course need to work to repair your rather sullen reputation, but this is something I'm willing to endure," he continues, leaving me looking to him in complete shock before sardonic laughter is bubbling from me.

"You're completely and utterly delusional, you know that?" I answer back, seeing his eyes widen in surprise. "Dear God, I can hardly believe I wasted so much of my life on you. You really think I'm worried about my fucking reputation, about how other people see me?" I question, seeing his former arrogance wiltering around the edges as his hesitant gaze trails over the enamored crowd.

"Sookeh, this is not the place," he hisses lowly, apparently unwilling to mar his own reputation to leave me rolling my eyes at him.

"Let them listen. I don't fucking care," I grit out in ire. "Let them hear about how you fucked another girl behind my back before you come crawling back, suddenly wanting to make things right between us once, I can only assume, she finally saw you for the arrogant, untrustworthy bastard you truly are," I accuse, earning a spiteful glare from my ex.

"That is hardly what this is," he argues, granting the onlooking crowd a rather nervous gaze. "I'm doing this for you, Sookeh, as a means of mending your standing in the community," he claims, bringing a cruel smile to my lips.

"I'd rather be known as the town whore than Bill Compton's fucking _puppet_ ," I inform him, watching his jaw drop open in shock.

"Sookeh!" he exclaims, leaving me shaking my head at him before I'm spinning on my heel, coming face to face with my two, grinning loves. "You'll regret this! You'll see! You'll come crawling back, mark my words," Bill sputters out behind me, to leave me turning my head over my shoulder, a small smirk playing at the corner of my lips.

"Fuck off, Bill," is all I say in reply, linking arms with Eric and Godric, being granted pleased smiles from the two of them before we're making our way towards the front door together. We're stopped abruptly in our tracks, hearing loud cheering sounding out behind us and are left gazing back curiously to see the patrons raised to their feet, all granting us congratulatory smiles as they applaud our victory over my ex.

Bill is left looking on utterly flabbergasted at the town's reaction and I don't think I've ever felt quite so triumphant, watching him march through the bar's side doors, earning taunts and ridicule all along the way. The three of us exchange triumphant grins, exiting into the cool night air together before we're laughing at the absurdity of it all.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Here it is, the final chapter, folks! A huge thanks to all of you who have stuck this one out, for your amazing support, awesome reviews and incredible feedback! I couldn't do it without you guys! :)**

 **Enjoy this final chapter! Happy Reading!**

Chapter 20

GPOV

"Hey, come on in, dinner's just about ready," I greet Sam warmly at the door of my mother's house, the three of us having returned home to visit for the holidays. Mother, of course, insisted on throwing a celebratory party, a request we were only too happy to indulge her with.

"Thanks," Sam answers before my eyes are rising in surprise, seeing a familiar, muscled arm link with his own.

"Quinn?" Sookie's stunned voice sounds from over my shoulder, both our mouths dropping in shock as the muscle bound, bald man grants us a rather shy smile.

"I hope it's okay, I mean you did say we could bring a plus one, right?" Sam questions, earning dual, absent nods in response. I have to lift my chin up off the floor, wondering not only when but _how_ the hell this happened.

"Of course, of course, come in, the more the merrier, right?" I finally answer good naturedly, taking their offered gifts whilst shaking my head in disbelief. The two men share an affectionate smile before slipping past the two of us.

"Damn, he's good," Sookie comments lowly, shaking her head at the two of them as I lift a questioning brow her way. "Nevermind," she answers offhandedly as I reach out to close the door once more.

"We're not late, are we?" a vaguely familiar voice sounds then halting my motions as I glance up to see Pam and her girlfriend making their way over the front stoop together.

"Oh, Pam, Amelia, hey! I'm so glad you two made it!" Eric greets excitedly over my other shoulder as the couple grants the three of us with kind smiles. "Sook, Godric, you remember Pam, right? And this is her girlfriend, Amelia," he introduces, taking the colorfully wrapped gifts from them.

"Yeah, hey, it's been a while," Sookie answers, sending Pam a grin before waving at Amelia. "Come on in," she insists before we're stepping inside to grant them entry. Eric and Pam are already talking excitedly together and Sookie grants me a knowing smile as I close the front door behind us.

"I think that's everyone," I remark, looking over the gathered crowd with a pleased smile.

"Yeah, I think so too, maybe we should go check in on your mom real quick," Sookie suggests, taking my hand into her own. "This was a really great idea she had, getting everyone together like this," she says as we follow the heavenly scents to the kitchen.

"A little help, dear one?" my mother questions softly, placing a steaming pot in my hands with an airy smile. "I think things are just about set," she adds, leaning closer to place a chaste kiss upon my cheek. A small smile forms as I turn back to the crowded table, adding the large pot to the many others. Mother has always had a tendency to overdo the holidays, and this Christmas is certainly no different.

"You need anything else, Mrs. Hyde?" Eric questions, leading Pam and Amelia towards the table as he earns a light headshake in return.

"No, dear, I think we're just about set," she answers, trailing over to the table before motioning for everyone to sit. Eric and Sookie take their places to either side of me before our friends and family are filling in the empty spaces around the large table.

"Everything looks real great, Mrs. Hyde," Jason says, warranting a grateful smile from my mother. Sookie squeezes my hand gently, sending me a warm smile and I'm once more grateful for her big brother's acceptance of the rather unique relationship the three of us share, though I am a bit surprised it took him so long to recognize what was happening right before him these past few months.

"Why thank you, Mr. Stackhouse. I do so hope you all enjoy," she adds warmly, her unseeing gaze trailing over the gathered group. "Now let's dig in, I'm ravished," she adds, eliciting smiles from the lot of us before we're all working to fill our plates.

The table falls into comfortable conversation as we tuck into our meals and I find myself smiling throughout the shared meal, realizing each and every person here played a at least some part in bringing the three of us together, some deliberately, others not, but I know if it weren't for this shared group of family and friends, the three of us may not have ever found the courage to follow our hearts, leading us all to this very moment.

"So, how's college life?" Pam questions from across the table, bringing me from my thoughts as the three of us share a grin.

"Things are going well," I answer, turning to Sookie. "One of Sook's paintings was chosen to be shown in a rather upstanding gallery in downtown Shreveport," I inform them, seeing Sookie's cheeks turn a light pink as our guests proceed to congratulate her on her success.

"Thank you," she answers back coyly. "It's not a big deal, really, but at least it's a place to start," she insists before turning to me. "Godric's photography instructor has been simply raving about his work, claiming he'll have his own show in no time at all," she enlightens the group, eliciting another round of congratulatory remarks that leave me slightly flushing.

"We'll see," I answer back humbly, not wanting to get myself too excited about such a possibility just yet. "But perhaps the most exciting news is that our own Eric Northman landed a lead role for the drama department's upcoming production of Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_ for this Spring's semester," I remark, earning a smirk from my blonde haired counterpart as he receives his own round of congratulations.

"And I expect to see you all there, too," he comments amusedly, earning eager replies of acceptance from around the table before they're breaking into excited conversation once more. A light knocking on the front door succeeds in quieting the ongoing dialog, leaving us all sharing puzzled glances.

"Mother, were we expecting anyone else?" I question, earning a light headshake from her before a sympathetic gaze is cast our way.

"No, but I believe Eric may want to answer the door," she answers back softly.

EPOV

My brows rise in shock at the psychic's words and I'm left rising hesitantly from my chair as the now silenced room looks on anxiously. Unsurprisingly, Godric and Sookie are at either side of me, each taking one of my hands into their own before we're making our way towards the front door together and as I reach out to twist the door handle, my curiosity is positively burning within me.

"Shit," I whisper under my breath, taking notice of our unexpected visitor. And this night was going so well.

"Eric," my mother greets cautiously, her hands wringing nervously before her.

"Mother," I answer back lowly, unable to keep my irritancy from my words as she raises her head to meet my gaze.

"Your father's not here," she enlightens me, earning a scoff in return.

"So why are you here? It's not like you to do anything behind his back, unless you've finally decided to grow a backbone?" I throw out harshly, seeing her eye twitch subtly at my stinging words.

"Eric!" Sookie hisses at my side, shooting me a disapproving frown.

"No, no, I deserved that, truly," my mother interjects to leave us looking back to her in mirroring shock. "I can admit I've not exactly been the best of mothers, but I hope to fix that," she adds softly, clear pleading shining back at me from blue eyes that perfectly match my own. Godric and Sookie are both sending me expectant gazes as I let out a small sigh, nodding to my mother.

"Come in," I beseech of her, earning momentary surprise from my mother before a grateful smile stretches over her face.

"Oh my," she remarks, glancing over the large crowd that are warranting the four of us their undivided attention. "I'm truly sorry to interrupt," she directs at the table, earning low murmurs of acceptance as the crowd continues to eye us curiously.

"I do believe it's time for presents," Mrs. Hyde merrily remarks then, standing to her feet. "We'll be in the living room. The four of you are welcome to share a private moment together," she knowingly grants us before the group is slowly rising from their chairs to follow Godric's mother from the room.

"I'm terribly sorry, Eric," my mother says once more as I pull out one of the emptied chairs for her. "I had no idea you were entertaining guests," she explains earning a light shrug in reply.

"Don't worry about it," I say in return, the three of us taking our seats across from her as I can't help but wonder what has warranted her unexpected appearance. "I feel I should tell you, Mother, if Father has sent you here in an attempt to lure me back home, I'm not falling for it," I inform her, seeing her brows rise subtly in shock.

"No, your father knows nothing of my visit here this night," she insists, bringing a doubtful expression to my face. It's so unlike her to do anything behind my father's back, having been cowed by him for years, but as I note the sincerity in her eyes I finally nod my acceptance of this.

"So why _are_ you here, Mother?" I question curiously. "I mean, we didn't exactly part on the best of terms as you likely recall," I add, feeling Godric squeeze my hand gently as memories of that awful morning float once more to the forefront of my mind.

"I know," my mother answers softly as I see her eyes welling with tears. "I can't tell you just how heartbreaking it was watching you leave the way you did, Eric," she insists, leaving my jaw ticking in irritation.

"You just stood there, just like so many other times," I grit out, watching her head fall in shame. "You didn't say anything, not one word in my defense. You just stood there, silently allowing him to push your own son away," I harshly accuse, years of anger with my parents rising to the surface as my mother proceeds to break down before me.

"You think I don't know that?" she cries out through her tears. "I know you must hate me, honestly I wouldn't blame you if you did, but you have to understand, Eric, your father is not an easy man to love, he never has been," she explains, brushing away her tears as she works to compose herself once more.

"You had a choice, Mother. You've always had a choice and you've always chosen to take his side in all things," I reply earning a loud sigh as she's left nodding her acceptance of my accusing words.

"I know," she concedes, her trembling voice barely above a whisper before she's clearing her throat loudly to continue in a steady voice. "You're right, Eric, you're absolutely right, but I'm here now in the hopes of making things better between us. I simply cannot stand with your father in this. I refuse to lose my son to his spite," she explains, meeting my incredulous gaze with firm determination.

"Alright," is all I can think to answer, allowing her words to sink in as Godric and Sookie both place comforting hands upon my shoulders, both offering me their silent support.

"I know it may be too late, but I hope to gain your forgiveness," she tells me, her gaze becoming hesitant once more. "I may not be able to change the past, but that doesn't make me any less remorseful of my actions. I'm truly sorry, Eric. I see now that my silence was just as hurtful to you as your father's harshness," she tells me as I feel hot tears stinging at the corners of my eyes.

"Of course I forgive you," I assure her, standing to my feet before drawing closer. Tears are welling within both our eyes as she stands to accept my loving embrace. I know she's right, that there's no way to fix past mistakes between us, but this doesn't mean that I'm unwilling to start anew, to grant us both the chance to make things right once more.

"I've missed you so much," she whispers against my shoulder. "I love you, Eric," she adds softly, pulling away to grant me a watery smile.

"I love you too, Mom," I answer back, watching her smile widen at my admission.

"I suppose I should be letting you get back to your friends," she says then, sending an apologetic look to Godric and Sookie, the two of them looking on with approving smiles.

"You could stay if you wanted," I offer, earning a light headshake in return.

"No, no, I don't mean to intrude, but would it be alright if I maybe called you? I'd like to be able to keep in touch, to hear how things are going. Perhaps even a visit now and then would be in order," she suggests, eliciting a small smile in return.

"Yeah, of course, I'd like that," I tell her as she brushes away her tears, working to compose herself once more.

"Oh, and before I forget, Merry Christmas, Eric," she says, reaching into her purse before producing a colorfully wrapped package before me.

"Mom," I start to argue, earning a firm headshake in return.

"I'm still your mother and therefore hold the right to bestow gifts upon you whenever I so choose," she insists to bring an amused smile from me as I accept her gift.

"Thank you, Mom," I tell her, leaning close to press a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Your father will eventually come around, Eric," she says softly, reaching up to place her hands upon my shoulders as she grants me a steady gaze. "He truly does love you, though; he admittedly has a rather callous way of showing it at times," she sighs out, her golden head shaking lightly before she rises up to press a soft kiss upon my cheek. "Don't remain a stranger, alright?"

"Alright," I answer back, a small frown over my face as I'm left thinking over her words. The three of us follow her back to the door then, sending her goodbye waves as she climbs into her car, soon disappearing from sight.

"Well?" Sookie questions excitedly, surprising me from my swirling thoughts as I glance over to meet her exuberant face. "What is it?" she questions, motioning towards the package still clutched tightly in my hand.

I grant her an indulgent smile before gently peeling back the holiday wrapping, my brows pinching in puzzlement to find a plain, manila envelope inside. I peel open the top slit before reaching inside, pulling out a slip of paper. The three of us are left gawking in shared shock at the overly gracious gift my mother has deemed fit to bestow upon me.

"Holy shit," Godric sounds softly over my shoulder, shaking his dark head in disbelief. "Eric, that's a _lot_ of money," he rightfully ascertains of the check held out before us as Sookie and I nod our astounded agreement.

"Wait, there's a note," Sookie says then, reaching back into the envelope to pull out a slip of paper. "Use this money wisely, my son. I wish you the greatest of success in all your future endeavors. With all my love, Mom," she reads aloud, before looking up to me with a fond smile.

"I'd venture to say the three of us could literally choose to attend any school in the country and I can only insist on only the best for my two loves," I inform them, meaning every word as I pull them both into my embrace.

"So long as we're together, I could honestly care less where we go," Sookie answers against my shoulder.

"Agreed," Godric chimes in from my opposite shoulder to earn an accepting smile from me. "Well, I for one vote that Eric pays rent from here on out," Godric teases then, earning a snigger from Sookie as I grin between the two of them.

"I second that," Sookie chimes in, sending me a playful wink.

"I might be persuaded," I answer lowly, waggling my brows suggestively as I see them share a knowing grin. I let out a contented sigh, pulling them both tighter against me, knowing our future is apt to be a bright one. I still have absolutely no idea what I ever did to win the hearts of my two best friends, but I'd do it all again, would willingly suffer through all the heartache once more quite willingly, if it only meant the three of us would remain together just like this.


End file.
